Taang Month
by roca dos
Summary: 30 days of Taang! Entries include one-shots, multi-chaptered short stories, and drabbles. Ratings vary.
1. Rejection

**AN: As exciting as a whole month devoted to my otp is, I am so not ready for Taang Month! OTL**

**Having said that, this might be a thirty-part fic or a bunch of short one-shots or a combination of the two! We'll see, I guess. XD I do want to do something for each day, but this is the _only_ thing I've written so far, so (here's where you come in! ;D) if there's something you'd like to see or you have any suggestions, pm me, leave it in a review, or over at my tumblr, please! =D**

**Alright, let's do this!**

* * *

**Day 1- Rejection**

"Have you talked to him yet?"

..._Great_. After Aang, Zuko was the _last_ person she wanted to see.

"Do you really wanna have this conversation with me again, Sparky?" The last time he tried to get involved, she got Katara involved, which would explain why his heartbeat stuttered like it did. Toph grinned as he fumbled through an explanation or an excuse, she would't quite tell. Still, she cut him off before he embarrassed himself any further. "Just because you _look_ like your uncle doesn't mean you have to start _sounding_ like him, too, you know?"

That did the trick. Just like she knew it would.

Zuko stood there, silent and smiling that rare smile few were privy to. Whenever someone compared him to his uncle, his chest puffed up because he knew he was doing something right. Most knew Iroh, not Ozai, was who the young Fire Lord aspired to be like. But all too quickly Zuko recalled _who_ paid him the compliment (and she had no idea what he or his uncle looked like!) and the smile was gone.

He wasn't going to fall for her tactics this time. Folding his hand behind his back, his focus returned to the current topic.

"You have nothing to lose," he insisted.

_Yeah, only my dignity and self-respect_, Toph thought with a huff that sent her bangs flying away from her face. "Unlike you, some of us don't like rejection," she teased him, but that word left a sour taste in her mouth.

Frowning, Zuko snapped, "_I_ don't like rejection!"

"That so? How many times did Sweetness turn you down again?"

Quickly losing his temper, he didn't bother repeating himself. Katara had not 'rejected' him. They simply agreed to take things slow...on her insistence. Anyway, this wasn't about him, it was about Toph.

"You care for him. He does for you as well. I don't understand the problem."

"'Course you don't," she mumbled. Things were never that easy. And with someone like Aang, she just couldn't be sure. "Look, I know he likes me, okay? But..." she sighed, "...he likes _everyone_. What if he doesn't feel the same way I do?"

If only his uncle were there, he would know exactly what to say...

Quiet for a moment, Zuko finally began, "You can't know unless you ask. Tell me, Toph, are you willing to risk your happiness because you're afraid of rejection?"

She turned her face up towards his and shrugged. "I'm already happy."

She was. She had her freedom, her friends, her school, her metalbenders. "Life is good," she added honestly.

"What if...it could be better?"

With those parting words he left her as he found her, sitting by herself under the tree overlooking the stables, and contemplating her next move.


	2. Fight

**AN: Here, have a High School AU drabble! XD**

* * *

**Day 2- Fight**

"Sokka? You _like_ Sokka?"

"_No_. All I said was I thought he was cute."

"But... _Sokka_!"

Her good mood was gone. It was his stupid idea to share something they had never told anyone else. "Is this gonna be a problem?" Toph asked him.

_YES!_

Aang took a long, deep breath, then forced himself to answer, "No."

"Alright, good. So, what do you wanna get to eat?" she asked, looking through the drawer of menus Gyatso kept in the kitchen.

Aang wasn't even paying attention. He couldn't stop thinking that if Suki wasn't around, Toph might be with...with _Sokka_ and the thought made him feel sick. He felt physically ill.

"Yo, airhead! You even listening? You want Chinese or Mexican? Both deliver."

Grey eyes turned to green and all they could see was Toph and Sokka.

Sokka and Toph. _Together_.

"WHY SOKKA?!"

Toph slammed the drawer shut. "That's it, I'm outta here."

"Yeah, go! Maybe you'll run into Sokka!" Aang yelled after her.

"Yeah, maybe I will!"

She slammed the door shut so hard, it made the windows rattle.

"Argh!" he screamed into a pillow after he collapsed on the couch. "What is wrong with me?" he mumbled to himself. Aang didn't want to fight with her. She was his best friend! So what was his problem? Was it Sokka? Was he _jealous_ of the senior? Well, Sokka always got the girl, did that bother him?

Aang thought for a moment, trying to be completely honest with himself. No, that didn't bother him. He was happy for his friend. So why did it annoy him so much that Toph thought Sokka was cute? It happened last year, 9th grade. They were sophomores now.

The answer was easy. Aang liked her. Even when he and Toph were so different, he really liked her. Maybe it was because they were so different that he did. She made him look at things in new ways. She opened his eyes to other possibilities.

"I'm an idiot," he said, running out the door after her.


	3. Regret

**AN: I'm late again. OTL**

* * *

**Day 3- Regret**

Time had not been kind to Aang. For the past century it had dragged on endlessly in a vicious, never-ending cycle he had tired of long ago. As far as he knew, he was the last of his kind, the last vampire.

His race had died off years ago. Alone, he had lived in nearly every part of the world, trying to forget _her_. Because just thinking of her, that face, those eyes...it made him ache with a longing so intense, his resolve nearly withered to nothing.

But no matter what he tried, he couldn't forget. He couldn't, not her, not ever.

Because once he had been happy, deliriously so. All he needed, all he ever wanted, he had. Because of her. _Ummi_. The world had known him as Kuruk back then. But what did names matter when he couldn't be with her anymore.

The sad truth was he missed her. So much. Every day of every decade he missed her, wishing things had been different.

But she had been taken from him. Even with all his power, there had been nothing he could do. When that stake pierced her heart, it killed him as well.

It had been Koh, or as he was known to those like Aang, The Face Stealer. The name was literal. Because he didn't just hunt and kill vampires, he carved out their face and hung it on his wall like a trophy. It was in that horrible collection that Aang found her face...

He had never been one for violence, a rare quality among vampires, but it was all too much. Sorrow and despair, hatred and vengeance urged him on and he ripped off the heads of all in his path. Then, he burned down the house, along with whoever was still inside.

A day had not gone by since that he did not regret his actions. Such a massacre at his hands should never have occurred. His love was lost and no amount of pain and destruction he caused would bring her back.

His actions that day changed him. He grew withdrawn. The optimism and sunny disposition that colored his view of the world - even after he had been turned - became dark and bleak. He wanted nothing to do with anyone for a very long time.

Leaving all his belongings behind, he left the city she loved so much, and began to wander the world. As fate would have it, he found peace with a group of monks living high up in the mountains. If at any point they suspected his true nature, they never let on and made no mention of it.

It was there that he chose the name Aang. It was there that he learned to make peace with who and what he was and who and what he wished to be.

...

"That will be all for today. Don't forget, your papers - thirty percent of your grade! - are due this Friday. And, no, I am not accepting any emailed documents. Hard copy only, time stamped by 4 pm in my mailbox, got it?"

There were a few scattered 'yeahs' throughout the hall. Aang smiled at the muffled groaning and chorus of 'ughs' that prevailed.

Grabbing his backpack and throwing it over one shoulder, Aang took one step then proceeded to nearly collapse from shock. There, waiting to speak to the professor, a face he never expected to see again.

"My notetaker missed class last Wednesday and-"

"Ms. Beifong," Professor Kyoshi interrupted, "You know the rules. You cannot miss my class."

"I didn't!" she argued. "I was here. I recorded the lecture as usual but-"

"If you'd like to discuss your paper, I'll be having regular office hours this week, plus 9-10 Tuesday and Thursday morning. Otherwise, we're through here, yes?" The girl didn't reply, but her expression said it all. However, being used to such murderous looks, the professor simply took her small carry-on and walked out, a handful of students trailing behind her.

Having listened to the short conversation, Aang debated approaching the girl packing her stuff away or leaving to ponder the impossibility of the situation.

"Can I help you with something?" she said, but it didn't sound like she was in the mood to help anyone with anything.

Aang looked around to make sure she was talking to him. They were the last two people left, completely alone in the large hall. He climbed down the last few steps to stand closer.

"I overheard you talking to Professor Kyoshi."

"Nice lady, that one," she muttered sarcastically.

"She's not so bad," Aang answered, hoping that antagonizing the girl might get her to look up at him. It worked. Only, a death glare wasn't what he was expecting. Still, he could see her face clearly...

It was _her_.

Ummi.

It wasn't simply wishful thinking. He had not imagined it. The likeness was uncanny.

It didn't seem possible and yet... It was the same dark hair, the same full lips, same nose, same eyes, except, the shade was a lighter, _paler_ green and he realized then, there was at least one difference between Ummi and this girl: she was blind.

"Did you really just say that? You heard her grumpy ass-"

"I take great notes!" Aang offered. "I'll let you borrow them, if you like?" He went on to explain his notetaking technique, one he perfected while attending college courses all throughout North America the past twenty-two years. Of course he didn't add that last part or why he was unable to stay in one place too long (because then the questions would begin).

She blinked at him a few times, narrowed her eyes, then asked, "Why would you do that?"

It had been Aang's experience that offering to help someone was usually met with gratitude, not suspicion. But, he was not deterred.

"Why wouldn't I?" he smiled. "It's the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do, huh? You always do the right thing?"

Images of death, blood, and fire flooded his mind. The voices of those begging for their lives, screaming in terror filled his ears.

"Not always," Aang answered honestly, "But I'm trying to do better."

She liked the sincerity with which he spoke with.

"Are your notes typed up?"

He nodded absently, half his thoughts still stuck in the past, regret eating at him, while he looked upon the face he had loved so dearly.

"If you're nodding, I can't see it," she teased.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," she grinned, straightening the long white cane she would use to make her way out of the building. She preferred an honest mistake to having people tiptoe around her.

He was smiling, looking so intently at her, she could feel his gaze burning into her skin. "I got something on my face?" she joked, while wiping at her cheeks.

"Oh, uh, no," he chuckled sheepishly. "I just...you're really pretty."

The smile fell from her face and that look of suspicion returned. "Real funny," she muttered as she turned to go.

"I wasn't- hey, wait up!"

He stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. If only he could look into her eyes and compel her to understand, it would have been so easy. But Aang did not have that luxury seeing as this girl was blind and that particular power would have no effect on her.

"Don't touch me!" she growled, using her cane to whack his hand.

Aang backed away. "I'm sorry."

They stood at the doorway for a moment in silence. Not wanting to make things worse, he waited for her to say something first. When she handed him a card that contained an email address and the name Toph Beifong at the top, he looked back at her expectantly.

"Think you can email the notes to that address?"

"Yeah, sure." The card went in his wallet and he walked with her until they reached the center of the courtyard that led up to the student store. "Um, Toph?"

She didn't reply, but paused to hear him out.

"I'm Aang. Just thought you should know who's emailing the notes."

"...O-kay."

"Okay, um, see you- I mean, smell you-_no_. ..._Hear_ you around?"

Toph was torn between laughing and reaching out to smack him again.

Aang didn't want to insult her and he was pretty sure that's exactly what he had done. "I'm going now," he mumbled, thoroughly embarrassed. Hopefully none of the people walking by overheard his idiocy.

Even though he didn't like using his powers on humans, if she wasn't blind he would have erased the last few minutes from her memory without a second thought. Well, maybe a second thought, but he would have still done it.

"Hey, Aang?"

She probably wanted her card back. And if she said 'I never want to talk to you again,' there was no way he could blame her. "Yeah?" Because that had to be the worst first impression in the history of first impressions.

"Thanks for offering to email the class notes."

"Uh, yeah, no problem."

She waved, said, "Smell ya later!" and left him there, staring after her, smiling like an idiot.

* * *

_So there you go, the first part of a college vampire au! XD There's no excuse for this, but I'd like to blame my sister since she had a Vampire Diaries marathon when I was over her house this weekend._


	4. Forgiveness

**AN: I'm catching up! \o/ **

**Follows _Day 2- Fight (High School AU)._**

* * *

**Day 4- Forgiveness**

Aang ran after Toph, but he couldn't find her anywhere. Not her favorite arcade, not the little dojo on 49th, not even at Zuko's place. He called Katara and Sokka, but neither had seen her. Just when he was about to give up, he found her in the little ice cream shop they stopped by after practice sometimes.

_Alright Aang, don't mess this up. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. You can do this. You have to!_

Aang walked over to where Toph was sitting on a stool.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked her, smiling.

"Leave me alone, Aang," Toph growled, poking at the bowl of ice cream with one of those long plastic spoons. She hadn't eaten any of it and it was starting to melt.

He wasn't giving up so easily though. "You come here often?"

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at him, then turned back to her ice cream. "Get lost, Twinkletoes."

The fact that she called him by his nickname gave him hope and he took the empty seat next to her.

"Toph, I'm sorry. I don't know why I got all weird back there." That was a lie, but he wasn't ready to explain that to her yet. "You're my best friend and..." The following words would be difficult to say, but he knew he had to say them. "I'm..._happy_...you like Sokka. It just surprised me to hear it is all. Sorry I wasn't more supportive. Say you forgive, okay?"

She wanted to grab the bowl of melted ice cream and pour it on his bald head.

Her eyes were narrowed to slits. "You're _happy_ that I like Sokka?"

"Yes, very happy!" he lied through his teeth.

"_Ugh!_" she cried, stood and walked out.

"What'd I do now?!" He followed her outside. "I said I was sorry! I'm asking for forgiveness here, Toph!"

"Well, you're not getting it!" she snapped. "Now stop following me and _leave me alone_!"


	5. Acceptance

**AN: Follows **_**Day 1- Rejection (Canon AU).**_

* * *

**Day 5- Acceptance**

It was something she had come to terms with. It was something she knew couldn't be avoided anymore. Sparky's words helped sealed the deal. Not that she would admit that to the Fire Lord. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Mind made up and unwilling to wait anymore, Toph headed straight down to the stables where Aang had been all afternoon. There was no hello, no what're you up to, she got straight to the point.

"I've given this a lot of thought. And, the only way I see this ending well is with a bending battle."

Dumbstruck, Aang waited for Toph to elaborate. But, she didn't. Not in the way he imagined.

"We'll spar," she stated. "If you win, I gotta go out with you." A slow smile of understanding broke out across his face. "But," she added quickly and Aang held his breath waiting for the catch. "If I win, you gotta go out with me."

Leave it to Toph to proposition him in such a way. It all sounded too good to be true, however, and Aang wracked his brain for any loopholes. She was after all, the master of them.

"What if it's a draw?" he asked before agreeing.

Toph laughed outright - an attempt to cover the hurt she knew flashed in her eyes.

"You _hoping_ for a draw, Twinkletoes?"

She finally accepted how she felt about him. Decided to do something about it. And it blows up in her face? _Of course_. She shouldn't have let that dunderhead of a Fire Lord convince her into anything.

Aang's reaction was immediate. "What? No, no, I only-" He stopped abruptly, not wanting to mess things up further. After taking a deep breath, he tried again. "Just tell me when and where."

Momo sat between them, looking from one to the other. Appa let his eyes drift shut and took a nap.

"Here and now a good enough time for you?" Toph asked, sounding almost bored, though she had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from smiling.

"No time like the present," Aang replied, amazingly with as nonchalant a tone as his former earthbending teacher. Internally, he was giddy beyond belief. All he wanted to do was rush over and throw his arms around her, kiss her cheek perhaps or her lips... Instead, he remained cool and detached, suggesting they have their battle away from the stables and the palace grounds.

"Fine," she shrugged one shoulder. "Wouldn't want everyone to watch you lose, would we?"

"Toph," he was next to her in a flash, "There's no way I can lose." He had to fight the urge to reach out for her. "Can't we just skip the bending?"

As tempting as that sounded, she shook her head no.

"Didn't think so. In that case, I want to change the wager. If you win," he continued, "I go out with you - that stays the same." Aang was smiling, he couldn't help it. "But if I win...you let me kiss you."

A warm shiver ran through her at the thought.

"You're on."


	6. Truth

**AN: **This could maybe, possibly, kinda be considered an epilogue to **_Getting Lucky._**** However, y****ou don't have to read that story to ****know what's going on here. ;D What you do need to know is it's a Modern Day Taang where Toph can see and they're in college and you know what, just go read _Getting Lucky_! JK! XD**

* * *

**Day 6- Truth**

Aang was freaking out!

He didn't know what to do! What was he going to do?

No one else was home so he was free to pace back and forth throughout the apartment as many times as he needed while muttering to himself, which unfortunately did nothing to calm him. Talking would be extremely helpful but Toph was at work and Sokka was probably with Suki. He'd even gone across the hall to see if Katara was there - he would've even taken Zuko! - but no luck.

After calling Toph's cell over ten times in the last four minutes and sending so many texts he lost count, Aang sat on the couch and stared at _it_.

...

Sokka arrived an hour later to find Aang in the same position he had been for the entirety of that time.

"Hey, buddy!"

Already searching the contents of their fridge when he realized Aang hadn't replied, Sokka peaked over the refrigerator door. Blue eyes watched with growing concern.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sokka asked, forgetting about food and making his way over to the couch.

For as long as Aang had been his roommate, the younger man had always maintained his childlike exuberance and positive disposition. It seemed like nothing could bring him down. But the look on Aang's face was making Sokka worry.

"Aang?"

"...I found this."

"Found wha-? Oh. _Oh_. ...Oh shit." Then after a few minutes passed, he added a disgusted, "Eww!" Almost as quickly as he sat down, Sokka jumped up as far away as possible. "Why is _that_ on my coffee table!?"

"Sokka, what should I do?"

"The first thing you should do is get _that_ off my table! Someone _peed_ on it, Aang!"

Aang picked up the double-bagged pregnancy test and carried it over to the kitchen counter.

"Don't put it there!" Sokka cried, tugging at his own hair. "Take it to the restroom, man!"

Aang did just that.

Sokka wanted answers.

"What did you-? Where did you-?"

"I got home about two hours ago," Aang explained. "After I used the restroom I found it. In the trash can."

"Why are you going through the trash!?"

"I wasn't! I just turned and - I don't know! - it was just _there_!"

"And you think it might be Toph's?"

Aang didn't confirm or deny anything, but his bright red ears spoke volumes.

The worry which had filled Sokka's blue eyes only minutes ago gave way to amusement and something like pride. "I didn't know you two were...that close."

"Can you stop looking at me like that?" Aang pleaded. Toph didn't like others knowing her business (when it came to intimate things like that). Aang understood her need for privacy and never did or said anything to make her uncomfortable, or let on about what was going on between them. Usually, they did a good job of keeping their personal stuff personal.

"How long?" Sokka asked, his teasing grin making Aang blush even more. "That long, huh?" he whistled.

"You can't tell her I said anything!"

Aang and Toph had been together ten months and for nearly the entirety of those ten months they had been sleeping with each other. They had yet to tell anyone about it though.

"Technically," Sokka said, "you didn't say a word." That much was true. "Besides, you do know that in a few months everyone'll be able to tell you two got busy, right?"

"Sokka, what am I going to do?" Aang buried his face in his hands. "What would you do?"

"First of all, can I just say I'm so fucking happy right now that I'm not you?" Aang's frown deepened. "Also, I wouldn't have taken..._that_...out of the trash - not even in a hazmat suit. 'Cause, dude, that's just gross."

Aang rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Sokka!" It wasn't like he picked up the pregnancy test with his bare hands, he used cleaning gloves and pliers to get it into not one, but two plastics baggies.

"Alright, alright," Sokka held his hand up. "It's simple, really. You have two choices: talk to Toph..."

"Which I can't do because she's not answering my calls! _Why_ do you think she's not answering my calls? She hates me! That has to be it! She's pregnant and it's my fault and she hates me!"

It was becoming quite clear that Aang was starting to lose it.

"Chill dude. Maybe she's not getting good reception down at Haru's? Or she forgot to pay her phone bill? I mean, she _is_ at work, right? Maybe she's, I don't know, _working_."

"Yeah...maybe," Aang nodded. "Okay, what's my other option?"

"Pretend you didn't find anything. Let _her_ tell _you_."

"What? I can't do that!"

Sokka shrugged. "If you don't want to take my advice, I can't help you."

"Help him with what?"

A pair of gray eyes and a pair of blue snapped towards the door where Toph walked in as though it was any other night. As though she wasn't hiding any life altering news from any of them.

While Aang stuttered through what sounded like some sort of explanation, Sokka smiled at her.

"Shift over?"

"Yeah. What's up with Twinkletoes?"

Truthfully, Aang had been worrying about all sorts of things. Being so young, not finished with school, not having a full-time job, _and_ having a baby? Being a _father_!? Starting a family all his own...all the responsibility that came with that territory? It was easy to freak out. But seeing Toph, knowing that the first thing she did once she was out of work wasn't to go to her place, but his...

Now that he thought about it, she was _always_ at his place. When he wasn't across the hall at hers, of course. If there was no school and no work, they were together. Ever since that day her father got involved and tried to ruin what was growing between them, Aang and Toph were practically inseparable. Knowing that, none of the other stuff worried him so much anymore. He loved her, that much was true. And being certain of it, he knew they could get through anything.

Although she wasn't into any sort of PDA, Aang walked over and hugged her anyway. She exhaled sharply and was about to complain when he cupped her face in both hands and kissed her, pouring in the rush of emotion he felt at the sight of her.

"So option #2, huh?" Sokka grinned, grabbed his jacket from his room, and headed past the couple, straight out the door. They had stuff to talk about and he didn't want to get in their way.

Breathing heavy, Toph pulled away when she heard the door shut. "You gonna tell me what's going on?" she demanded, just short of shoving him off.

"I really missed you."

She wasn't buying it and her arched left eyebrow told him as much.

"I did," he laughed, but he knew he had to tell her he found the pregnancy test. "Toph, the truth is... you know I love you, right?" Something crossed her face, that same something that darkened her features whenever he uttered those words. It usually gave him pause and caused his chest to tighten in disappointment when she didn't say it back, but not in that moment. "Well, I know _you_, you're not comfortable expressing yourself and I haven't always been understanding of that." She crossed her arms over her chest waiting to see where this was going. "But I know you feel that same way about me that I feel about you."

The nights she spent in his room led to the best mornings. He loved waking up and having her be the first thing he saw. And what was even better, he could see it was the same for her as well. When she opened her beautiful green eyes and looked at him, her entire face lit up and that small smile that tugged at the corner of her lips told him just how happy she was to be there with him. Of course, it was only a matter of seconds before she seemed to remember she wasn't a morning person and complained of the bright light or not having slept enough.

"Something happened," she insisted. "You gonna tell me what?"

"Something did happen," Aang admitted. "I realized how happy I am to be with you. I realized there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

Where was this coming from, she wondered. Was he sick? Did he cheat on her?

"No matter what you decide to do, I'm here for you, okay?"

_Um, what?_

"Decide to do...about?"

"Toph," he ran his fingers through her hair. It was something he knew she liked. "I know the truth."

She pulled away.

"What are you talking about? What truth?"

"I _know_, Toph." His smile was warm, tender. "I found the pregnancy test. It's positive. I know you're pregnant."

In all the time they had been together, Aang had never seen her look more confused. Not even that time he tried to explain the basics of quantum physics to her.

"What?" She took a step back away from him. "What're you talking about?"

Toph looked angry and Aang was wondering if he should've waited before saying anything. Maybe he should have let her tell him when she was ready. Because when he first saw that the test was positive, he had a tiny mental breakdown himself. However, it was too late to pretend otherwise, so Aang went into the bathroom and returned to show Toph the positive pregnancy test.

Green eyes were wide with shock.

"Where'd you get that?"

"It was in the bathroom."

"Dude, that's gross!"

"Look, I know you peed on it, okay, but shouldn't we focus on the results?"

"Twinkletoes..." Everything he had been saying, all the wonderful things she had just heard made sense now. She actually felt bad because she was going to tell him the truth. "...That's not mine."

The words she said, his brain was unable to process them. It wasn't... She wasn't...

"It's not?"

She shook her head no.

"Then whose is it?"

Sokka and Suki chose that precise moment to walk in through the door.

"If you're not pregnant, Toph, then who is?" Aang wanted to know.

"I am." Suki smiled without apology and all eyes were on her.

"_What!?_ What do you-? What!?" Sokka didn't wait for a reply, he passed out first.

...

After they helped revive Sokka and left him to figure stuff out with Suki, Toph and Aang escaped across the hall to her room. As relieved as Aang was, he was also a little disappointed. He couldn't really explain why.

Once she took a quick shower, Toph returned to her room to find him lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She knew what was going on, she had seen that crestfallen look on his face the minute she told him the truth.

"You know I don't do this often," she sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But, do you wanna talk about it?"

He took her hand in his, sat up, then leaned forward to press his lips to hers. "I'll be fine, but thanks for the offer."

"Well, we're gonna talk about it anyway," she replied with a shrug, standing momentarily only to jump on the bed, pinning him down. He let out a surprised laugh, but it wasn't like Aang was going to complain about his girlfriend lying on top of him.

"So, you wanna have babies with me, huh?" He rolled his eyes at the smugness in her voice, but Toph continued as though she hadn't seen him, "I mean, who wouldn't want to, _I'm awesome_."

"And very modest, too."

"Shut up, Twinkletoes, you love me."

Aang let out a long suffering sigh. "Yeah, I kind of do," he lamented and laughed again when Toph pinched his midsection.

"Toph," he caressed the side of her face, then leaned up for a kiss. "You _know_ I love you."

"I..." she cleared her throat. "Iloveyoutoo," she whispered hurriedly against his lips, her cheeks grew warm, her head dizzy, and her heart full.

Aang smiled at her. It was that brilliant, dazzling smile that made her insides melt.

"I know," he whispered back. "I know."


	7. Tranquil

**Day 7- Tranquil**

"How can something so _small_ be so damn _loud_!?" Toph whispered, collapsing next to Aang on the living room couch.

"Obviously, she takes after her mother," he replied with a grin.

If she wasn't so exhausted, Toph would've punched her husband. "Stop talking, Twinkles," she threatened, her eyes growing heavy. She didn't even bother changing out of her uniform, only removing her armor. "You'll wake the little monster. And I'm telling you, Aang, I am not getting up again."

He mumbled something under his breath - it sounded like he agreed - but he hadn't slept in nearly two nights either, so once she placed her head on his shoulder, his reaction was instinctive. Aang reached for his wife and drew her to him, until they lay one on top of the other on the small couch. Then he too began to drift off.

Lin had finally, _finally_ stopped crying. She was only four weeks old, but since the moment she was born neither Aang nor Toph had found a moment's rest. Whenever they eventually got her to take a nap, he had his Avatar duties to tend to and she, Chief of Police business. There was always something going on or needing their attention. This brief moment of complete and glorious quiet - when their daughter was asleep and no one was coming or going from their house - was like a rare gift from the Spirits themselves. And one they intended to take full advantage of.

* * *

_AN: I love stories where Aang is Lin's dad! =D_


	8. Dreams

**AN: This is rated T, just to be on the safe side.**

* * *

**Day 8- Dreams (_Canon AU cont._)**

Something strange was happening. Toph didn't know _how_ to explain it. And what was stranger still, she didn't _want_ to explain it.

It occurred late at night when half of the world was fast asleep. It was then that Toph would dream. And they weren't ordinary dreams either...

As the days went by and she continued to experience such vivid and..._thrilling_...dreams, Toph not only enjoyed them, but began looking forward to them. Which had been fine when she had her own private suite in the Fire Nation Palace, but the past two nights she had been traveling with Aang. Due back at her metalbending school, he offered to fly her to the Earth Kingdom and in the process spend as much time with her as possible.

Both were still new to this dating thing. Even though Toph had considerably more knowledge regarding certain courtship rituals, she never had a boyfriend. And while Aang had had one girlfriend, it had been when he was twelve.

Early on the third day of travel, a sudden thunder storm sent Aang in search of an inn with a large enough stable to keep Appa dry. They were able to find one in the outskirts of Whale Tail Island, but since the storm caught so many people by surprise, there was only one small room left. The innkeeper assured Toph and Aang it was large enough for two, but once they walked in, they realized it was most definitely not.

"I can sleep on the floor," Aang offered, looking at the tiny bed made for one person. His cheeks grew warm trying to picture both he and Toph squeezing into it. There would be no space between them, none.

"It's no big deal," she grinned and he wondered how she could be so calm. "We've slept together more times than I can count!" she laughed.

True, they had, but that had been over seven years ago when they were both twelve years old. Back when they were just getting to know each other. She was teaching him earthbending in her no nonsense, brusque manner and he was teaching her what it meant to be a friend.

Their feelings for each other were vastly different now. Since she issued that bending battle where her victory meant he had to go out with her and his meant he would be able to kiss her, things had changed. Drastically. And for the better. Toph had to give it to Sparky, he had been right about that part.

"Aren't you the one always trying to hold my hand?" she teased, making his ears burn red. "Now's your chance, Twinkletoes."

"I, um...uh..."

_What is wrong with me?_ he thought to himself as he watched her dig through her satchel, then disappear into the bathroom. That was when Aang sat on the edge of the one chair by the only window and began to hyperventilate.

He wasn't going to make it through the night. How was he ever going to fall sleep? Lying next to Toph? In the same bed? The tiny, one-person bed!?

He couldn't do it! Not when he had been dreaming about her the way he was. Intimate dreams where he and Toph did _things_ together..._to_ each other, where he touched her and she was more than happy to touch him in return. There were sweet dreams where he was happy to simply hold her, where he wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair. Then, there were _other_ dreams that were anything but sweet.

Standing, Aang paced the small room. Three strides and he went from one end to the other. Looking out the window he had the crazy idea of sleeping with Appa and Momo out in the stables.

The bathroom door creaked open and when she walked out, most of her clothes were gone! Okay, he may have been exaggerating. She was wearing a long, thin, soft yellow tunic that stopped mid-thigh with no shorts or pants that Aang could see.

The room instantly got smaller. And hotter. Spirits, he wasn't going to survive the night.

"Bathroom's all yours," he heard Toph say.

"Thanks." The reply was automatic because he didn't recall saying the words though he heard his voice answer her.

His eyes were glued to the insane amount of exposed leg she was showing. He couldn't recall a time he saw so much. Smooth and shapely and he just wanted to run his hands up and down along the enticing skin. He wanted to press a line of kisses from her toes to her knees, all the way up to her thighs and further beyond to the area hidden behind her tunic. The yellow material which only seconds ago had been too short, but now hid her hips from his view, was suddenly too long.

"You listening, Twinkletoes!"

"What!? Yes. I...no, I wasn't, sorry," he muttered an apology while forcing his eyes away to neutral territory.

"I said, 'I call the right side'."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

"Thanks for what?" she laughed, his gray eyes drawn to the sound.

She had washed away their day of travel and looked refreshed and radiant and beautiful. Spirits, why was she so attractive?

As she climbed into the right side of the bed where she undid her bun and began to brush out her long hair, Aang's breathing came faster and faster. How he could find the simple everyday act so incredibly alluring, he didn't know.

Scratch that, he did know. A dream he had recently began just like that.

He grabbed his own satchel and ran into the bathroom. Maybe if he meditated...

...

Something was seriously wrong! It had to be all those stupid dreams she'd been having about Aang that had her so worked up! Because it was by sheer force of will that she didn't climb him like a tree the minute she walked out of the bathroom.

Their room was so small and his scent was everywhere and he smelled so damn good! Even with two days worth of travel, he smelled - _Oma_, Toph just wanted to bury her face in his chest and inhale. She wanted to kiss his bare skin, learn the taste, the feel.

They had kissed before. A few times. The first being after she won their bending battle and demanded a prize. Aang had been happy to comply, pressing his lips to her cheek. It wasn't enough and Toph stole a real kiss.

Since then, if they ever found themselves alone, the kissing began and continued until someone interrupted them. But, they were alone now. In an inn miles away from any of their friends and the possibility of interruptions. Add to that the dreams they had been having about the other and their emotions (and hormones) were out of control.

When Aang stepped out of the bathroom, he blurted out the first thing that popped into his head.

"I'm checking on Appa and Momo!"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, just to make sure they're okay."

"I'll come with."

"No! I mean...there's thunder. I know you don't like it and-"

"You looking for an excuse to get outta here?"

He considered lying further, but he was rarely very convincing and didn't like doing it anyway. "That obvious, huh?" he chuckled awkwardly.

"Yup, now get your butt over here, Twinkles."

His heartbeat was all over the place, but he was smiling at her in a unabashedly pleased way. "Okay."

Without words, they settled under the covers, comfortably, as though they had done it a million times before. But they hadn't, not once, and though they moved willingly, color rose to their cheeks and a nervous energy filled their bellies.

They were facing each other, inching closer until there was very little space between their bodies. When his arms circled her waist and he pulled her closer still, Aang whispered against her temple, "Is this okay?"

The lull of his voice put her completely at ease.

"Yeah," she sighed, grinning against his chest. "It is."

It was more than okay, actually. Because as nice as dreams were, the real thing was incredible.

* * *

_Started writing this yesterday and finished up today, which means I didn't edit, but will eventually. Please ignore any mistakes, heh. Oh and don't forget to review! ;D_


	9. Climax

**AN: Rated M. _Come on_, with this prompt, how could it not be? ;D**

* * *

**Day 9- Climax (_Canon AU cont._)**

Wide awake, unable to fall asleep, Toph lay there, quiet and still. She didn't want Twinkletoes to wake up. It wasn't as unselfish as it sounded. If he woke up, he would move, and she was too comfortable to let that happen. In fact, Toph was perfectly okay with the way Aang was draped all over her like a warm blanket. They were both lying on their sides and he was behind her, curved against her body, an arm secured around her middle.

It felt...nice.

In their short and very new relationship, they hadn't done too many coupley things. They'd held hands and kissed and...that was it. But, Toph wanted _more_. She dreamt about doing things with Aang, doing things _to_ him. However, she wasn't sure how far he was willing to go. And where normally Toph did whatever she wanted when she wanted, since she actually cared about him and...and _liked_ him, it made it all kinds of tricky. Once, while they were still staying in the Fire Nation Palace, Toph snuck into his room late at night. Aang had gotten out of bed so fast, mumbled he'd forgotten something downstairs, and ran out of his room in a hurry. To say she was left feeling confused and insecure would be an understatement. The truth was, she didn't want to make him uncomfortable in any way either because of that whole liking him thing. Which left her with all these desires raging inside her and no outlet.

She let out a deep breath and continued to lay there awake. Outside, the storm had subsided some; thunder had ceased, but the rain poured on. The only sound was the rain hitting the one window.

Aang stirred behind her and she knew if she didn't say something - or _do_ something soon - she was going to explode.

"About time, lazybones," she muttered, grinning when he shuffled even closer to her.

"You been awake this whole time?" he asked, voice heavy with sleep. Absently, he was nuzzling his nose into her neck and hair. "Not even a little nap?" he continued, his breath caressing the shell of her ear.

"Wasn't tired."

"Hmm," he murmured against her shoulder before placing a kiss there. Her back was to his chest, so he couldn't see her smile.

He was being very affectionate and Toph didn't know what to make of it. Though he had always been a friendly person, once they started dating, he kinda kept his distance. He would hold her hand, but that was about it. Everything else, she would be the one to initiate.

Not one to let another moment go to waste, Toph spun in place to face him.

"Morning," he said smiling.

"I'm pretty sure it's only midnight," she replied, reaching up to trace his lips with her fingertips. Aang kept smiling. That was a good sign.

For Aang, it was a surreal moment. Lying in a tiny bed with Toph, his arms around her, one of her hands caressing his face, the other trailing up his abdomen. He would've never imagined it happening, even in his wildest dreams (and he'd had some pretty wild ones). Aang had been pining for her in secret for months. Never did he think she would feel the same way about him. Then, in true Toph fashion, she surprised him by issuing that bending battle and wager. She'd won the battle, but he'd gotten his kiss anyway. Many since, in fact.

The thing was he couldn't stop thinking about her, about doing _certain things_ with her. Not during meetings, not while he ate, not even while he was supposed to sleep. It was that bad. One night, just when he was thinking he might sneak into her room to see her, she snuck into his. The sight of her increased his lust-filled haze to unimaginable heights and all he wanted to do was throw her on his bed, tear off her clothes, and kiss her _everywhere_. The intensity of the thought had frightened him so much he made up a lame excuse and literally ran out of his room.

Even now, the desire that had nearly overwhelmed him made his face grow warm. It prompted Toph to ask, "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm...just cold," he lied, slipping out of bed to bend a fire in the small fireplace near one corner. "There. The room should get warmed...up...soon..."

When he turned back, Toph had thrown off her long tunic. It lay beside her on the floor while she sat up in the middle of the bed in only her bindings.

Aang couldn't speak. His brain ceased functioning and he'd lost the ability to put words together. He wasn't even breathing...at least, he couldn't be sure whether he was or wasn't.

Slowly, giving him a chance to back out before things went too far, Toph got out of the bed and walked towards him. Aang could do nothing but watch in anticipation. When she reached for the hem of his tunic to lift it over his head, he could breath again. His shirt fell to the floor, forgotten. When Toph pressed herself against him, touching his chest first with her hands and then her lips, that raw need that had plagued him so intensely returned and he stopped her roaming hands.

"_Wait_," Aang whispered before they went any further and did anything that couldn't be undone. Always an airbender, avoiding any and all potential confrontations, he had pretended his need for Toph wasn't there. If he didn't acknowledge it, he didn't have to face it, and it wouldn't be a problem. But he was realizing that way of thinking wasn't exactly working for him. He had to face his strong attraction to her- head on like she had taught him back when they were kids.

Toph didn't have his Air Nomad beliefs to hide behind. She had _nothing_ to hide behind. Frankly, she had been scared. Afraid of rejection from the beginning, she didn't think he would want her in the same way she wanted him.

They were both wrong.

"Are you sure, Toph?"

"I've _been_ sure."

The look she gave him as she answered he would never, ever forget. If he had any doubt of how she felt about him it was erased in that instant.

Aang did then what he had been aching to do, he reached for her hips and lifted her to him. Toph's response was immediate, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him without restraint. Knowing they wanted the same thing, they gave in to their desire.

As he carried her back to the bed little touches ran between them. Their hips, his arms, her breasts, his hands.

A rush of heat that had nothing to do with the fire swept over her as he laid her down carefully on the bed. She could feel his gaze run over her body as he hovered just out of reach. She just wanted him to touch her again.

"Toph, you're..._wow_," Aang whispered, the awe in his voice making her blush.

Too overwhelmed to speak, she sat up and reached for him instead. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she guided his mouth down to hers where both lost themselves in the taste.

Fearless as she was known to be - as she was! - this thing with Aang was too important. To mess it up simply because she was impatient...? Nope, not happening. She would _try_ to take things slow. But Aang was making it very difficult. Still she was enjoying the weight of him on her, the feel of his skin against her own, and his scent... _Oma_, he smelled so damn good.

His lips left hers to kiss down her neck, her shoulders, the part of her breasts covered by the bindings. His fingers traced secret patterns along her waist and hips marking roads no other had traveled. She was panting already, moaning his name.

Toph couldn't take it, had the sudden urge to straddle him, so she did. The bed creaked beneath them when she flipped their positions. They both laughed at that, but their laughter soon subsided.

Aang's hands were on her thighs, moving up and down slowly. That made her grin for some reason.

"Aang?" As she sat on his hips, she bit her lip, feeling terrified and thrilled and a hundred other things at once. "I'm gonna try something," she warned, her voice tiny.

His hands traveled up to cup the sides of her face. "You can do anything you want," he smiled and meant it. He trusted her completely.

That was all she needed to hear.

Leaning forward she kissed him, hard. Her hands found his naked torso and became increasingly bold with each passing second. When she reached lower, past his abdomen to touch the growing mound between his legs, his breathing grew heavy.

Toph broke away from his lips to kiss along his jaw, his neck, his chest. Her mouth drifted lower and lower, finding a trail of soft hair that began at his navel and disappeared into his pants.

Curious fingers moved with purpose and the material in the way was soon removed. With half-lidded eyes Aang watched, utterly enthralled as Toph finished undressing him. His pants and underwear gone, he was completely naked, his excitement exposed to her wandering hands. As she wrapped one around him, his breath hitched in his throat and the world slowed as her hand began to move. Tentative at first, then with more confidence.

What he was feeling was intense, so many sensations at once. His body was on fire and nothing could _ever _feel better, he was sure of it. Just then, and as was often the case, Toph proved him wrong. He gasped, throwing his head back when her mouth...oh that wonderful, heavenly, amazing mouth.

He choked out a word. _Spirits_, perhaps. The only thing he was certain of was he had never experienced anything like it before. The softness of her lips, the heat of her mouth, the wet warmth of her tongue...

She was moving her head now, up and down at a slow, torturous pace. Aang called her name between breaths. He touched her hair, wanted to touch more of her, wanted to make her feel as good as she was making him feel, but sweet Spirits he didn't want her to stop.

A millions thoughts ran through his head, all centered around Toph and that beautiful mouth. Why hadn't they done this sooner? Was this what she had in mind when she snuck into his room? When could they do it again?

That was when he felt it happening, felt himself losing total control. He was going to explode.

Toph kept moving, didn't stop and he couldn't. Aang shut his eyes tight and let go. A glorious feeling traveled through him. He groaned and moaned enjoying the pleasure that hit him like a rock slide, all at once then slowed to a linger.

Looking down at her, he didn't know what to do, or say. He was still trying to catch his breath and wrap his brain around what just happened when she kissed her way up his body.

"Toph...I...you...that was..."

There was no snappy comment, no smug retort, she simply smirked at him, incredibly pleased (and relieved and turned on) by his reaction. But Toph knew what his coming first meant. Feeling happy nonetheless, she curled up with him.

Even though Aang felt pleasantly exhausted and ready to fall asleep, he couldn't stop grinning. He showered her with kisses.

"Let me return the favor," he whispered in her ear and she shuddered at the thoughts that raced through her head at the sound of his voice.

Fair's fair, she thought with a sly grin.

"Whattaya have in mind?"


	10. Freedom

**AN: Anyone up for an Arranged Marriage AU? Anyone? /o\**

**Btw, the timelines have been changed...**

* * *

**Day 10- Freedom**

When war nearly broke out one hundred years ago, the leaders of the Four Nations did not panic (publicly, in any case). They were proactive in coming up with a solution to avoid any potentially devastating fighting in the future. The Earth King suggested the idea of arranged marriages between the Four Nations. Strategically formed alliances seemed like the best possible solution to prevent war. Most agreed.

There was, however, a group of Water Tribe who refused. They would not allow their people to be forced into anything. These people left their homes in the north and traveled south seeking their own land. Trade with this newly established Southern Water Tribe was forbidden and they were left to fend for themselves.

The Air Nomads, who cared little for possessions or money, walked away from the treaty talks peacefully. If any of the other nations needed something the Nomads could give them, all they had to do was ask.

The remaining nations soon agreed, signing the treaty that would give them much needed trade, strengthening their economies, while sealing the fate of a select few of their young.

...

"I don't see why _I_ have to get married," Toph whispered. She hated the idea of being trapped anymore than she already was. Tied down to _anyone_ sounded like the worst possible future. What little freedom she had managed to steal for herself would be _gone_. "I thought we could simply _ask_ the Air Nomads for whatever it is we wanted and they'd hand it over."

"Apparently, they have changed their minds in that regard."

Toph paced the room, the walls trembled with each step she took. Her parents were not aware of her earthbending prowess—no one was—and she reeled in her emotions, so as not to give herself away.

"Why can't one of your partners' marry off their daughters?" Toph demanded.

Poppy and Lao looked at their daughter in shock. In the sixteen years she had been alive, Toph had never questioned them, never even raised her voice at them. She was always so obedient.

"None are yet of marrying age," he replied. It was the first time Lao looked ashamed.

"Do I mean so little to you that you're giving me away for a bunch of trees?" she asked, hoping to appeal to his paternal sympathies. She knew it was more than a few trees, it was the entire forest hidden among the Air Nomad mountain range near the Western Air Temple, which meant _a lot _of timber. Therefore, a lot of money. "Would you still give me away if I wasn't blind?"

Poppy burst into tears. Lao, shamed and guilty as he was, simply stated, "You _will_ be married, Toph. It is your duty to do so. I will not discuss this further."

...

"Aang, please, this is important."

Laughter filled the air. "I'm listening, Gyatso."

Smiling to himself, Gyatso gave the young monk a few minutes to finish feeding his lemur.

"Okay," the boy laughed, turning to his mentor. "I'm ready. What did you want to talk to me about?"

For a very long while now, Gyatso had been carrying around a great secret. It weighed on him day and night until he figured out a solution.

"You are sixteen now-"

"Yup, my birthday fruit pies were your best yet!"

"I would have to agree," Gyatso grinned. But the amusement left his eyes and he cleared his throat. "In two months time, you will be married to an Earth Kingdom heiress."

Aang looked up from where he sat on the ground. "Married? But why?" he asked, standing.

The Air Nomads did not marry as far as he knew. They lived freely. They loved freely as well.

"It is something we are _asking_ of you."

Gyatso could not share the reasons why with Aang. He did not wish to frighten the boy, but rumors had reached his ears that the Fire Nation was awaiting the revelation of the Avatar. This worried the old monk tremendously.

Why would they begin to show an interest now? They never seemed to care before.

What Gyatso could not possibly know was that the Fire Nation wanted their Prince Zuko or Princess Azula to marry whoever was declared the new Avatar. Fire Lord Ozai believed that a union between the Avatar and one of his children would ensure the Fire Nation's access to the vast, untapped, and undoubtedly profitable Air Nomad resources.

"But I don't want to get married," Aang stated simply. He did not want to leave Gyatso or his friends or the temple. He loved the freedom he had in his home.

"I understand," the older man replied. "However, it would be a _great_ help to us."

"How would my marrying an Earth Kingdom girl help the other monks?" the boy asked with genuine curiosity.

That was the question Gyatso dreaded above all, but he believed Aang's life was in danger. In order to protect it, he went against many of their beliefs. Though Gyatso had been able to convince the other senior monks that it was in theirs and Aang's best interest to withhold revealing the boy was the Avatar until _after_ they ensured his safety, his own heart was full of anguish. Still, he knew that by marrying Aang to someone well-connected within the powerful Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation would not risk hurting the young monk.

"Well, we would be able to trade for some much needed medicine. The younger children are in dire need of it," he lied.

"Oh." With a heavy heart, Aang agreed. "Okay," he said. "I'll do it."

...

The ceremony was a blur for Toph. One minute she was mourning the inevitable loss of her freedom, the next Aang of the Southern Air Temple was declared her husband, and it was gone forever.

Poppy had attempted to give her daughter some guidance in the days prior, relaying counsel her own mother had provided on her wedding day. All the advice Poppy gave Toph went in one ear and out the other. What did she care if her husband liked her or not? Still, Toph had been born and raised a lady and was as polite and proper as was required of someone of her station throughout the entire ordeal.

Except, of course, when _he_ was involved. She could have kissed him, signaling the ceremony was complete, but instead she chose not to, simply holding still as he kissed her cheek. When the idiot then had the audacity to try and talk to her after the ceremony, she simply ignored him. And then, when he tried to take her hand in his as they greeted the incoming guests, she snatched it away. Toph didn't want anything to do with him.

Since then, she had been able to avoid his company.

A tiny highlight to the evening came when she was able to lose her shoes and dig her toes into the cool grass beneath her feet. There were so many people, so many vibrations she had to keep track off. She actually had fun trying to distinguish Earth Kingdom nobility from Fire Nation royalty to Northern Water Tribe aristocracy—all who where there to witness the first such union to an Air Nomad.

But where Toph was able to find almost everyone, no one was harder to pinpoint than her...her..._husband_. The word alone made her stomach clench in disgust. The way _he_ and his people walked so lightly, it was almost like they barely touched the earth. It was fascinating in a way.

Not that she cared at all where _he_ went, hardly. But she wanted to know when he was returning so she could go elsewhere. Her seismic sense had come in handy yet again and she had managed to avoid him successfully until dinner was served.

They had been forced to sit on a stage, where everyone could witness her misfortune, but Toph didn't care. She played her part flawlessly and no one was the wiser. No one except _him_. She had no pity for him. No sympathy, nothing.

An extravagant display of food from all over the world filled their table, as well as every other in the grand event. The Beifongs spared no expense for their daughter's wedding. As if that could somehow make up for anything, she thought bitterly.

As everyone began to eat, the bride and groom were forgotten for the moment.

"You should try something," Aang whispered.

Toph wanted to earth spike him out of existence.

"Try the egg custard tarts! And the dumplings are delicious, too," he added.

Toph took a deep breath. If she didn't control her growing anger, she would be tempted to bend the ground open and have it swallow everyone up, starting with the annoying person sitting next to her. The murderous thoughts running through her mind made her smile and unfortunately for her, he noticed.

"What's so funny? I love a good joke!"

The tiny improvement to her mood disappeared at the sound of his voice.

"I don't think I've said it, but your dress is beautiful!" he continued in that annoyingly cheerful tone of his. "And...you look really nice," he added in a whisper. The way his heart beat faster told her he was being honest.

But instead of thanking him for the compliment, she turned to him and growled, "Stop. Talking."

Sighing to himself, Aang sat back in his chair. Toph could feel his eyes boring into her. She wasn't suddenly self-conscious. She wasn't. What did she care if she made him feel bad? She didn't.

It wasn't until he did something she had not expected that Toph remembered he was still there at her side. He hadn't gotten up and left like she was hoping. Instead Aang leaned in so close, she could feel his breath tickle her skin as he spoke.

"Trust me, I get it," he whispered. "You don't want to be here...with me. I'm sorry about that, I am, but just so you know, you're not the only one who lost their freedom today."

After that, he didn't try to talk to her again. Not even after they were escorted to the room they were to share in her parents house for their first month of marriage, as tradition called for.

Aang didn't get close to the huge bed in the middle of the room. He didn't wish Toph a good night either. All he did was walk over to the settee under an oversized window. After staring at the stars shining in the dark sky for a few minutes, he drew the curtains shut.

Not bothering to change out of his wedding robes before laying down, Aang tried to fall asleep and forget what was essentially the worst day of his life.


	11. Balance

**AN: Now it's Toph's turn! ;) That means this is Rated M too!**

* * *

**Day 11- Balance (_Canon AU cont._)**

The way Aang was kissing her neck with the promise of more, had Toph wondering how many girls Twinkletoes had been with because no one was naturally that talented. And she would ask him...just not right now when his tongue swirled over her collar bone and his hands grazed over her breasts with such a fleeting touch, he left her aching for more.

He was _so good_ Toph was having trouble thinking straight and was mentally cursing herself for not showing more restraint. Because yeah, that was her moaning again.

"Can I?" Aang asked shyly while very unshyly kissing her breasts still covered in bindings. It took her a second to realize he was asking permission to remove the material between them. She wasn't sure if that was sweet or sexy so she opted for a little of both.

They worked together quickly to get the thin, white strips off, but somehow managed to tie them into a tight knot instead. Knowing he wasn't quite the expert he seemed earlier made Toph laugh with something like relief.

"Sorry," he chuckled, embarrassed but determined to get the troublesome thing off.

Finally, after using a combination of his teeth and nimble fingers, the knot came undone. He then took his time unwrapping her. It was very much worth the wait.

Since he first began to take notice of girls in earnest, Aang had always thought Toph one of the prettiest, but having her lay there, her face flushed with desire, her breasts bare and reacting to the cold, she was the most exquisite he had ever seen. Aang's breath caught in his throat and he was at a loss as to what to do next. Should he caress her face or her body? Reach out to touch her with his hands or his mouth?

"Anything wrong?" she asked, her voice soft and unsure. Anything wrong _with me_, was what she really wanted to know because once Aang had her fully naked from the waist up, he just...stopped.

Nothing was wrong. In fact, nothing had ever been more right.

Wanting so desperately to bury his face between the valley of her breasts, Aang had to swallow and clear his throat twice before he could speak. "I've...never seen a girl naked before," he admitted, rubbing the back of his bald head self-consciously, while taking in the alluring sight of Toph sitting up and tying her hair back into a messy bun.

Ah, so he _was_ just that talented.

"Still haven't," Toph smirked, trying to downplay the nerves she felt building up as she waited for him to say he liked what he saw or wished she'd cover up. "Ain't _completely_ naked."

His mouth went dry at the thought, just as his eyes continued to roam over her inviting figure.

"You're so...and I just... I want to touch _all of you_, Toph," he added, breathless and increasingly mesmerized by the curves and dips of her body. The fullness of her breasts, the slim lines of her waist meeting the bloom of her hips, a man could get lost there and never be found. _He_ wanted to get lost there and never be found.

She seemed to be looking up at him with those beautiful pale green eyes of hers and he felt a surge go through him. Was that hunger in her eyes?

When she hooked one arm around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, he went willingly.

Toph had no idea what she had been doing earlier and it seemed neither did he, but that was okay, they could figure it out together. She had been at a loss when she discovered Aang was too big to fit in her mouth, so she took turns lavishing wet kisses along the length of him. His heart raced like never before, his breath was ragged, and his moans only urged her on. The way he ran his fingers through her hair so tenderly as she moved her head up and down, she shuddered just thinking about it.

_"Now it's your turn,"_ he had whispered in her ear when she returned to his side. And just the sound of his voice in that teasing tone had her more excited than she could've ever imagined possible.

In her nineteen years, Toph had never felt that way before, and it wasn't simply the delicious tingling he caused throughout her body. It was him, _Aang_. She had never wanted to be so close to anyone before, to please him more than gratify herself, to know every part of him, have him know her just as intimately.

"Toph..." he sighed against her mouth.

Her kiss had the desired effect and Aang continued where he had left off—his hands were suddenly everywhere. As he leaned into her and kissed her deeply, he sent a flash of longing flaring through her. Toph moaned, pressing her naked body against him, loving the feel of his hands on her.

Aang kissed and nipped at her throat, overwhelmed by a primal need as she rubbed up against him. He could feel his arousal growing, but this was about her. He wanted to do so many things to her, _for_ her, make her feel just as good as she made him feel. And, he would. Usually, he thought too much, got tripped up in his own head, but Aang wasn't thinking at the moment, he was moving and doing, letting his fascination for Toph guide him.

One hand was wrapped around her waist, the other ghosting upward with great care around the soft, full weight of her breast. Toph arched up into him. His fingertips traced the outside of the silken skin, his thumb finding the sensitive tip. She shuddered when he touched her, so he touched her again.

"_Aang_."

Spirits, he loved the way she said his name, full of want and need. He longed to hear her say it again, so Aang dipped his head, mouth soon where his hand had been. Her head flew back, her back arched up further, and Toph moaned his name once again.

He couldn't help it, he smiled a little against her breast. Toph was too lost in the sensations he was making her feel to care. Her breathing became ragged, panting with need as he continued kissing and sucking by turns. It wasn't enough. Greedy, wanting more, she hooked her hands around the back of his smooth scalp to press him closer.

Both his hands were equally busy, traveling over all the tantalizing bare skin. His mouth was frantic, his hands splayed out possessively, gripping her hips fiercely.

Aang _wanted_ her. But, what he wanted even more was to learn the taste of her first.

As he slid slowly down her body, his hand crept between them until he reached the apex of her thighs. The heat he found there, the damp fabric, all he could think was the bindings were in the way again.

He didn't struggle with the material, simply bypassing it, slipping his hand under it. When Aang kissed her navel and then her hipbone, one finger pressed into the slick warmth of her body.

A broken gasp escaped Toph's lips and she could feel herself going soft and liquid at his touch. But the bindings felt restrictive, preventing too much movement. She made quick work of the thin strips of material, getting rid of them entirely, until she lay completely nude before him.

There were a million compliments on the tip of his tongue but when he opened his mouth to speak, she jerked her hips ever so slightly and he knew there were better uses for his mouth just then. His hand as well. Growing more and more confident, he continued to move in and out of her, with one finger and then two. Dipping his head, he placed a series of wet kisses from her knee up her thigh, his face nuzzling the curve of her hip.

Toph couldn't think, could barely breathe, all focus on his touch. Without meaning to, she was moving with his hand, her walls tightening around him...

When Aang turned his gray eyes up towards her face, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were closed, and her lips were parted. He watched enthralled as she began to fall apart.

Her breath came shorter and her body started to tense, an unfamiliar but amazing sensation swept through her. Toph whimpered as she shuddered her release. Small shivers followed, one after the other, until she felt herself go completely limp. Feeling utterly satisfied and blissfully exhausted, she could have fallen asleep right then, but Aang's mouth replaced the absence left by his hand.

"_Oh..._"

That was all she could come up with as she struggled for coherence, body overwhelmed. Because his mouth and his tongue..._Oma_, his tongue... Toph thought she might pass out by the unbelievable things he was making her feel. But that wasn't all. His hands continued to be attentive, caressing everything he could touch; the swell of her behind, her thighs, her knees thrown over his shoulders. He seemed to be everywhere.

"Aang..." she breathed, her hips rising to meet his mouth. She ran her fingers over his scalp, gently, tracing the tattoo she knew was there, wanting to kiss him even as he kissed her.

Toph could already feel her entire body going taut, heat coiling tighter and tighter. The sounds escaping her lips became hoarse and desperate. Vaguely she realized she was begging him not to stop. And he didn't, moving with her as she came a second time.

...

Slowly, when Toph regained her senses, she found Aang was already lying next to her, still nude and curved comfortably around her naked body. The blanket was pulled up to their shoulders even though the fire was still going.

Realizing what happened, Toph groaned, mortified.

"How do you feel?" Aang asked and she would have shoved him off the bed so hard not even his airbending could've saved him from going head first into the floor had she detected even a hint of teasing.

She couldn't believe it, she passed out. Twinkletoes made her _pass out_.

"I was worried," he admittedly softly. "I thought I might have hurt you."

How incredibly _embarrassing_! How was she ever gonna live that down!?

"I'm fine, see?" she grinned, pretending she wasn't irritated with herself or annoyed or so damn embarrassed. She even reached out to touch him, getting momentarily distracted by the hard planes of his chest.

"Promise you're fine?"

"_Twinkles_," she growled through her teeth.

But he wasn't letting up.

"Promise me, Toph."

"Ugh! I _promise_ I'm fine. Happy now?"

"Very." He hugged her to him and she relaxed a little. "So..." he began and she could _feel_ his growing smile. "That was fun," he said and she could sense his heartbeat speed up. There was a shyness in his tone that made her insides flutter. Even after all that...

"Go to sleep, Twinkletoes. Gotta wake up early, remember?"

"Yeah..." he mumbled, kissing her shoulder. He knew she had to get back to her school. But, he didn't want to think about that yet. "Have a good night, Toph."

I will, she thought, and felt him snuggle even closer to her.


	12. Sleep

**Day 12- Sleep (**_Arranged Marriage AU_ cont.)****

It had been one very long week of silence, avoidance, and death glares. Not the best beginning to any marriage. Aang hadn't been able to sleep at all because of that and everything else. He was exhausted.

And it wasn't just the traumatic move from the Southern Air Temple to the Earth Kingdom—though that had its own set of issues. It was the different practices that the Beifongs had that the monks did not. The reserved and 'proper' way they conducted themselves were so strange to Aang, who was used to a more free, loud, and lively environment. Meals were now quiet, long ordeals. No one talked about their day, they didn't share any eventful news. It seemed the only time they spoke was to inform one another of the arrival of certain guests.

Aang couldn't even sit wherever he wanted at the table. He had an assigned place located at his..._wife's_...right and she at the right of her father. Everything was so orderly and structured, he was beginning to see why they were all so miserable. Just thinking about all the unnecessary customs he had to learn made him feel irritable. Especially since they didn't have to learn his ways. How fair was that? Why did none of them wake up early to greet the morning sun with him? Why did none of them make time to meditate out in the garden? Why didn't _they_care when _he_ had to?

Because no matter what Aang did, he seemed to continue messing up. That first morning, he walked into the dining room for breakfast _before_ Lao Beifong, which by the scandalized looks the servants gave him was possibly the worse offense he could've given anyone ever. Trying to apologize only made matters worse, so he was silent as he sat down next to Toph and avoided the various types of meat which filled the table, while he tried not to insult anyone else by accidentally drinking from the wrong cup or something. Luckily, there was fresh fruit and he kept himself busy with that.

The following day, he managed to offend Lady Beifong by spending tea time with Appa in the stables instead of her. How was he supposed to know about tea time?! No one bothered mentioning anything about it to him! It was...it was very difficult living there. He wasn't a guest, but he felt like one. An unwanted one. No one told him what to do and they all expected him to just _know_.

Thinking about all this, this new life he now had, this new family he was now a part of, Aang decided it was important to try and talk to Toph again. They were married, for Spirits' sake, they were going to have to talk eventually. During the etiquette sessions Lady Beifong 'suggested' he should have in a not too subtle way, he figured that afternoon was as good a time as any to make amends. So when his session was done for the morning, he went in search of Toph. Only he had no clue where to begin looking.

The gardens which she seemed to frequent often were empty, as was the library where she met with various instructors. Next, Aang tried their room.

_Their room._ The concept was still so foreign to him.

As it turned out, Toph wasn't there either. But he found something else. With the afternoon sunlight pouring into the room, Aang looked—_really_looked—around in wonder. The room was huge! Almost like an entire wing of the temple. It was lavishly decorated; thick, ornate curtains hung by every window, there were extravagant tapestries on the walls, and plush carpets on the floor. The rich decor was truly a sight to behold. Like_everything_ in the Beifong Estate, it was clean and shiny and he didn't want to touch a thing too afraid he might break it. Strange how the place was so full of beautiful stuff and yet empty of anything that truly mattered. Suddenly, Aang felt like crying.

He went to sit by the couch he tried to sleep on for the last five nights and looked out into the vast blue sky. He sighed deeply. All Aang wanted was to be back home, where he had Gyatso and his friends and his own room, tiny as it was. Where he didn't have a father-in-law who insisted on talking business as if that was the only thing of importance, or a mother-in-law who silently judged him for not being a 'proper gentleman', or a wife who obviously couldn't stand him since she hadn't so much as directed one word his way since their wedding day.

Speaking of Toph...

Aang watched as she walked into the part of the garden just outside their room, beyond a row of small trees. She was with an older man who was obviously Fire Nation. The Fire Lord's brother perhaps? Yes, they had been introduced after the ceremony. If Aang recalled correctly his name was Iroh. But, Toph hadn't mention anything about his coming at breakfast... When she laughed at something Iroh said, she looked so different with a smile on her face. So carefree and happy and...and pretty.

Aang turned from her back to the room feeling even more drained and suddenly the bed had all his attention. It looked like it was as soft as a cloud and he was so tired. Toph was busy with someone she actually wanted to be around, so... It would only be a little nap anyway.

...

When Aang woke up the sky was dark. How long had he been asleep for? Couldn't be that late because Toph was nowhere to be found. No matter where she disappeared to after breakfast, he was guaranteed to see her at least two more times throughout the day: lunch and dinner. Sometimes, too, whenever they retired to their room at the same time. She never said anything, simply washed up, changed out of whatever fancy outfit she had on into pjs, and climbed into bed.

He should've done that, washed up and changed. It felt warm and stuffy with all the windows shut. Plus, with the robes he still wore, it was worse, so he removed them to lie there in simply his pants. That helped a little.

Listening for sounds from the bathroom, he realized she wasn't in there. Just when he was about to climb out of the very comfy bed, he heard steps outside in the hall. He debated pretending to sleep or sitting up to find out who was at the door.

It must have been servants scurrying around because no one entered—from that particular door, that is. The side entrance leading out to the garden suddenly swung open, he almost missed it in the dark. A figure slipped into the room and in an instant, Aang was mentally preparing to defend himself from the intruder.

Airbending, Aang moved swiftly and silently. When the door closed, he sent a gust of wind, effectively trapping the would-be intruder against that very door.

"Hey!"

The outrage was clear in the distinctly female voice.

"What are you doing here?" Aang asked, pinning her wrists with his hands. When she struggled, he held her in place, trapping her body with his own. If she needed food or money, he could give her both. The Beifongs had more than enough to spare. However, if this person was there to harm anyone, Aang wasn't going to allow it. "I'll ask one more time—"

"It's me, you noodlebrain!"

It took a moment for it all to register. Shocked, Aang released her, stepping back as if burned.

"_Toph?_ Is...is that you?"

"'Course it's me," she growled. "Who else would it be?" Like anyone besides her could get past the guards. And why had no one told her he was an airbender? Not that it changed anything.

_I don't know! I don't know who else it could be! I don't know anything about this place_, he thought, but kept those panicked musings to himself.

Only the dim light from outside allowed him to see her moving around the room. What time was it anyway?

"Where were you?" he asked, suddenly embarrassed that he had pressed her against the wall with his bare chest. "And why are you dressed like that?" She was wearing long shorts that reached her calves, a green, short sleeved tunic, and a yellow vest over it. Her hair was different, too. And was she covered in dirt?

"Don't worry about it!" she snapped as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Trying to make sense of it all, Aang sat on the the side of the bed he'd slept on only minutes ago. If only he hadn't woken up...

By the time Toph stepped out of the bathroom, dawn was approaching and he could see her strange clothes were gone, as was the coating of dirt she walked in with. She paused in surprise when she realized he was on the bed. It looked like she was going to say something, but settled against it at the last minute.

Aang had so many questions, but asked none of them. He did, however, remain on the bed, on top of the blankets while he watched her slip under them. Even as his head hit the pillow, he knew sleep would elude him yet again.

* * *

_When you review *hint hint* please let me know which story line is your favorite so far? There's an upcoming prompt that's giving me a bit of trouble..._


	13. Future

**AN: So, Vampire AU continued... Also because Aang shoulda asked Toph to dance at least once. I mean, he asked Katara _and_ Zuko, heh.**

**What is my life? /o\**

* * *

**Day 13- Future **

It was inevitable that Aang lived in the past. The woman he had loved so ardently was there. When he lost her, he lost himself as well.

Since then his life had been about hiding, blending in, never truly living. Until he found the monks up in the mountains and they showed him a different way. He found peace, but something was still missing.

Toph, on the other hand, didn't like to think about the past, she lived in the here and now. Looking ahead was a waste of time, too. Why should she worry about where she would be ten, twenty years from now when she could be enjoying that time instead?

...

A cup of coffee turned to two. The next day, lunch blended into dinner. Another dinner was capped off with drinks. And then came a night of dancing. His idea.

Toph didn't want to go. It wasn't that she was against dancing or anything- she would do it often enough when she was alone in her apartment, but being around so many people was different. And yet, she agreed, if only because he would be there. What a sucker she was turning into. Because the more time she spent with Aang, the more she wanted to be around him. She had a feeling it was the same for him.

The place he took her to was dark, he apologized when the first of many people bumped into her. Aang wrapped a protective arm around her waist and led her to a table. Toph didn't complain.

It was nothing like she imagined. The music was loud, but she loved feeling the bass vibrate through her. She could smell the alcohol in the air, the sweat, the sex.

When Aang asked her to dance she didn't hesitate. She wanted to sway every which way, wanted to move with him to the rhythm. The anticipation building up as he took her hand, laced his fingers with hers, and led her away from their table was almost too much. Surprisingly, for the first time in a long time, Toph didn't mind being the only blind person in a room full of seeing people.

Up until then, Aang had been the perfect gentleman. Opening car doors for her (she let him), offering to pay for everything (she refused). Still, he always kept this..._distance_. As if...as if he didn't want to get too close even though he kept asking her out. Hell, they had barely even kissed yet!

Sometimes it was so obvious he wanted to, his mouth lingered near her own after a hug good night...but something made him pull back _every time_. The few times she tried to initiate anything, he never let it get too far.

Funny how everything could change in the span of a few hours.

Toph found herself in the middle of the dance floor with Aang, ass to crotch, her right arm thrown back, looped around his neck. The more they danced, the more intimately they moved. His hands slid to her hips and stayed there, while his mouth was busy pressing wet kisses along the nape of her neck.

The way Aang touched her as they danced made heat bloom in her chest and belly, it made her shiver in delight. Toph couldn't help it, she leaned further back into his lean, hard body.

When she ran her fingers over his smooth head, Aang's right hand splayed out possessively across her stomach. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling as he nipped at her neck gently with his teeth. Then, there was a sharp, sudden burst of pain.

...

"I understand if you never want to see me again," he said, then quickly added, "You know what I mean."

She'd woken up in his bed. Immediately, her hand reached for the side of her neck. It felt smooth and didn't hurt. She compared it to the other side and nothing.

Aang stood across the room, waiting. She could feel his eyes on her. "What happened?" Toph was about to ask, but she didn't need to. She _knew_. The fear she should have experienced just wasn't there though.

Aang must have seen it in her face because he dared to come closer. He didn't touch her, but sat down carefully by her knee.

"You don't care that I'm blind," she pointed out.

"Toph, this is a _little_ different," he laughed humorlessly.

"No it's not," she argued, kicking at the blankets. Toph wanted to tell him that for the first time in her life she could picture it, her future, their life together, they could be happy. This didn't change anything. "You're not like everybody else. Neither am I."

He wanted to argue with that. Needed to tell her she was _wrong_. The things he'd done, the things he could do... But, the way she said it, the way she looked when she did, he wanted so desperately to believe it could work, too.

Still on the bed, Toph crawled over to him, feeling her way until she climbed into his lap and Aang had one of those moments where he couldn't believe it was happening. When she reached for his face, his resolve wavered. In that touch, he knew so many things. He knew this wasn't about Ummi, hadn't been for a long time. He knew he wanted to tell Toph everything in that moment and _always_. He knew he wanted to be with her no matter what.

Toph had a few questions, but nothing that couldn't wait. She had more important things on her mind. Carefully, taking her time, she traced his upper lip with her thumb, then his bottom one.

Aang smiled to himself. He was the one who should've been seducing her, not the other way around.

"I wish I could see you," she said, her voice barely a whisper against his mouth. Then she gave him the softest kiss possible.

"Do you mean that?" Aang asked, licking his lips as she pulled away. "Do you wish you could see?" She had never mentioned anything of the sort to him. Toph always seemed so strong and incredibly comfortable without her sight.

"No," she laughed as if he'd asked the stupidest question. "I don't care about everything else," she whispered, growing quite, "I wish I could see _you_."

Aang swallowed thickly as he replied, "What if there was a way?"


	14. Childhood

**Day 14- Childhood**

On days that Lao Beifong was away on business, Poppy had taken it upon herself to show her daughter more of the world. Though Toph was blind and couldn't see the vast forest to the south or the great mountains to the north, the little girl could smell the trees and flowers and all the natural growth surrounding them. She could take off her shoes and run on the long grass or dry terrain. Toph loved to be barefoot in the mud and dirt and Poppy enjoyed watching her daughter enjoy herself.

Once Toph got older, she would have the role of a noble lady to fulfill and there would be little time for such silly pleasures, but until then Poppy wanted her daughter to experience as much as possible despite her disability. Things at home were always so structured, it was such a controlled environment. Even at five years old, Toph's schedule and lessons were constant and seemingly never ending. That unfortunately was simply the life a lady led.

But until then, Poppy and Toph would sneak out of the huge Beifong Estate and go for walks around the nearby wilderness. It wasn't as dangerous as it sounded. Poppy was a very skilled earthbender - a fact not even her husband was aware of - and should the need arise, she was prepared to defend both herself and her daughter.

One day, feeling adventurous, they once again traveled as far north as the mountain range just beyond the city. Usually nothing more exciting than finding a family of badgermoles had occurred, but that morning something very unexpected happened. On the way back, they met a little boy standing in the middle of the road. He looked like he had been crying and stopped suddenly as Poppy and Toph approached.

"Who is it?" Toph asked. The little girl had learned from her badgermole friends how to see with her earthbending. It was something she had not told anyone about. She was afraid that if her mother discovered the truth, she would tell her father and he was already so over protective, Toph didn't want to find out how much farther he would go.

"It's a little boy," Poppy replied, keeping her voice low. With narrowed eyes she searched the area around them. It could be a trap. Thieves. Or worse.

"Mommy, can we keep him?"

Poppy was at a loss for words.

"He's not for us to keep, sweetie."

"But he's all alone out here!"

The boy did look to be all alone. Where did he come from? It was like he fell out of the sky or something. He couldn't have been any older than Toph. Both were the same height, but where Toph looked sturdy, the boy looked frail, like the wind could carry him off any second.

Poppy watched as Toph approached him without reservation, surprising since she wasn't usually too fond of strangers.

"Do you have a mommy?" she asked him.

He shook his little bald head.

"A daddy?" Toph pressed.

The little boy seemed to think about that for a moment, but shook his head again.

"See, he doesn't have a mommy or a daddy! So he can stay with us, right?" Toph asked again, bouncing around as she circled him. The hem of her dress was already covered with mud and as she danced around the boy, it only got worse.

A slow smile was making its way to the child's face the longer Toph twirled around him until finally, he joined her and laughed as merrily as she did. He took her hand and together they spun until they got dizzy and fell to the floor, giggling.

His laughter was like wind chimes. His gray eyes had an ethereal quality to them. His clothes were made of a soft orange. Poppy didn't know what to make of him. She didn't know what to do. But, what kind of person would leave a child all alone on an empty road?

"Do you have a name?" Poppy asked, interrupting their laughter.

"Yeah," he smiled, "It's Aang."

"Aang," Poppy repeated. "Very well, Aang, you will come with us." Once there she could search for his family.

"Okay," he smiled, taking the hand she offered.

...

They never did find any relative or friend. But Poppy and Toph made a home for Aang anyway.

When the servants or any guests that arrived at the Beifong Estate asked questions, the answer was always the same, "He's the son of a distant relative and will be staying with us for a while."

When Lao returned, Poppy told him the same thing. He was not so easily persuaded.

"I don't care who he is. I don't want him near my daughter."

Poppy was raised to be a certain kind of wife, just as her mother before her had been and her mother before her and so on. She knew her place and understood her position required a delicate touch. Therefore, she did not argue with her husband and strived to be as accommodating as possible. Usually.

"You don't want Aang here?"

"No."

"Too bad."

And that was that.

...

Where at five, Aang and Toph did everything together, at six they became aware there were certain differences between them.

"What happened to yours?" Aang asked one day while they were taking a bath.

"My what?" Toph replied.

"You're missing this." He pointed between his legs. Then he remembered she couldn't see. "I don't know what its called, but you don't have one. Maybe you lost it?"

Toph was quiet for a moment. She was usually pretty good about keeping her stuff in their place, it made finding things much easier.

"Maybe..." she answered, not convinced. For a fleeting second she thought Aang might have stolen hers, but immediately dismissed the idea. He wouldn't do something like that. No matter what her father was always telling her.

_"He is not like you," he would say. "Don't forget, you are his superior."_

The servants would be cruel at times, too. Toph had overheard them arguing amongst themselves that they shouldn't have to wash his clothes since they didn't even know who his parents were.

"Don't be sad, Toph," Aang said, suddenly. As usual, smiling at her. "We'll find it. I'll help you look, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

Later, when Toph told her mother about what she might have lost, Poppy arranged for the two children to have separate baths from that point forward.

...

When at eight Aang was still trying to remember how many courses he had to wait before dessert was served, by nine he knew the cooks well enough that his food always had lots of noodles, veggies, and no meat. Once he finished his bowl, he could enjoy the custard tarts they made especially for him.

Toph knew what was going on and never let on that she did. Hey, he always covered for her, she could do it for him, too.

...

At ten, while they were hiding from the guards in the gardens, Aang sneezed and accidentally airbent Toph into a shallow pond.

Soaking wet but otherwise unharmed, Toph cried, "How'd you do that?"

"I...I...don't know."

Recently, he had been having strange dreams. He would fly. Other kids would be there. Boys with bald heads and big smiles. They would all fly together through the clouds on giant fluffy animals.

They were just dreams.

...

At eleven Aang discovered the truth.

"You _found_ me? On the side of the road?"

"Why didn't you tell us before!?" Toph cried, furious with herself for not recalling any of it.

"Why don't I remember that?" Aang voiced her frustration. Grey eyes searched those of the woman he often thought of as a mother.

"You were barely five at the time. But believe me, I looked for your family." And she had, going so far as to hire a bounty hunter named Jun. Apparently, the boy had been raised in the Southern Air Temple, but all the monks that once lived there seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Jun did find a wooden staff and a few bits of Air Nomad clothing among the ruins. She gave it all to Poppy, who saved it in a box along with the outfit they found a tiny Aang in all those years ago.

"There's something I would like to show you, Aang. Please, come with me."

...

At twelve they snuck out to their first Earth Rumble.

"Are you sure about this?" Aang asked, the roar of the crowd was making him nervous. "You're going to have to fight all those guys to be champion!"

"You doubting my bending, Twinkletoes?"

"Not at all," he answered honestly. He had seen her earthbend and she was amazing. But, those guys were huge!

"Don't worry so much," she laughed, cracking her fingers. "This won't take long."

It didn't.

...

At thirteen, he shaved his head. It was oddly liberating. He then thanked Poppy for all she had done for him, told her he would return one day, but he needed to see where he came from.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Toph?"

Aang wanted to, but he didn't think he would be able to leave if she asked him not to go, so he shook his head.

"Take care of yourself, Aang. And remember you'll always have a home here."

He left through the huge front gate with the staff that turned out to be a glider, a satchel containing the strange orange clothes that fit so well, and tears in his eyes.

"Wow, so you really weren't gonna tell me?"

Aang spun around to see Toph leaning against the outer wall of the Beifong Estate.

"I did, I wrote you a letter."

"You wrote the blind girl a letter?" she snorted.

He shuffled in place. "I...I didn't want you to have to choose." Why would she ever leave her home for him?

She scoffed. "It's not even that tough a choice," she grinned, making Aang smile in relief. All the time he spent agonizing over telling her or not floated away.

"'Course I'm _staying_," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Write to me when you get there, alright?" she added and his face fell.

"Y-yeah, sure," he forced himself to say. He turned away quickly, too quickly. Grey eyes missed her mischievous smirk.

"You're such a dunderhead!" she laughed, tackling him to the ground. He turned enough so that he hit the ground with his back and she was lying on his chest. "C'mon, Twinkletoes, like I was ever gonna let you go by yourself!"

"Really?" his eyes lit up as he watched her smiling face. "You're coming with me?"

"You wouldn't survive a day without me," she smirked.

Laughing, Aang wrapped her up in a giant hug. When he felt her arms encircle him as well, he tightened his hold on her.

Aang had hugged Toph a million times and of those million times none felt like this. He was suddenly very aware of many things he had never been aware of before. Blushing like crazy, he let go and sat up.

"We should get going," he said not looking at her. If he had he would've seen her blushing as well.

...

At eighteen they returned to Gaoling. They had discovered the sad fate of his people and his true destiny. They found a family of flying bison, one of which followed them home. They also traveled the world and made friends in every part, but none more important to either than each other.

They had grown up so much in that time. They were no longer the children that left. In fact, they brought along a child of their own.

"Lin," they said they named her. "Lin Beifong."


	15. Nightmares

**AN: Halfway done! Wooooo! \o/**

* * *

**Day 15- Nightmares (_Canon AU_ cont.)**

It was still raining. The fire had died down, but Aang wasn't cold. Not with Toph in his arms.

The first morning light found them still in the tiny bed, wrapped up in each other, limbs tangled together. Sometime during the night Aang had slipped out of bed to find his pants. It was inevitable _not_ to feel self-conscious while waking up completely naked, but he didn't feel so bad when he found Toph wearing her tunic again.

"How long you been awake?" she asked, her voice muffled. The arm that served as her pillow while she slept had been numb most of that time, but Aang wasn't complaining. Especially when is other arm was securely around her waist. Toph shifted away from him so that her face was no longer buried in his neck.

"Not long," he replied, smiling when he realized her hands were trapped between their chests. Their legs were twined together with most of the sheets kicked down to their feet, while the blanket which had kept them warm throughout the night had fallen unnoticed to the floor.

Aang was amazed by the level of closeness he felt with her. He was also surprised that neither was behaving too awkward or embarrassed. It was something he had expected from both himself _and_ Toph, and yet they were curiously at ease with one another. That's not to say they weren't blushing from time to time, because they were. Still, their conversation felt natural given the things they did only hours earlier and they jumped from random topic to random topic like it was the most natural thing in the world to wake up together. It might have been sweet, even romantic, had she not been laughing at him. Without a hint of remorse either.

"The Loser Lord did not say 'My royal parts are showing!'" Toph exclaimed with a mixture of giggles and half-snorts. She was laughing when she turned and fell off the bed. It did little to stop her on-going laughter though.

Trying and failing to keep a neutral expression, Aang laughed with her. It hadn't been funny at the time, but watching Toph's reaction, well, the series of strange and frightening dreams he had before the Day of Black Sun didn't seem so bad anymore.

"You should've seen Appa and Momo fighting!"

Sitting up, she made a face. "But they fight often enough. How's that a nightmare?"

"I guess it wasn't," he agreed. "It wasn't scary, but they _were_ wearing armor - at least Appa was - and they both had swords."

"Maybe a _little_ freaky..." she amended, moving to sit on the bed.

He told her Guru Pathik was floating on a cloud singing about chakras, left out the daydream about Katara, but did tell Toph he forgot to study for his math test. That had her going again.

As her laughter died down, Aang grew quiet, remembering one dream he didn't like to think about. Toph, Sokka, and Katara...horrible things happened to them, horrible things _he_ had been unable to prevent. It was something Aang never bothered sharing with anyone. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell Toph now. Still, he didn't want to keep yet another thing from her, and unlike how his crushing on another girl might potentially bother her, he didn't think this would, so eventually he told her.

"So...I had no face? Like it was chopped off or something?" Toph asked, trying to understand.

Despite the severity of the topic, Aang bit back a chuckle.

"No, your face was still there, but..." How to explain _why_ it was so frightening? "You didn't have eyes..."

Toph sat back against the wall.

"I wasn't exactly faceless then," she contradicted. "If I still had a nose and cheeks and a forehead-"

"I can't explain it," Aang admitted, but just thinking about it sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Toph felt his body tremble and wondered what he could be imagining. Despite a momentary wave of shyness, she pushed that aside and moved closer to him. As she was known to do, she got in his face instead and grinned, "It was seven years ago, you big baby!" She was teasing him, he knew, but he appreciated the way her tone softened as she continued. "See," she took his left hand and placed it on her cheek, "No one's taken my face yet."

Toph's small smile was sincere and Aang was grateful that she was trying to make him feel better. But, for some reason, though her words were meant to comfort him, they didn't. They only made the concern in his gray eyes grow and his frown deepen.


	16. Lost

**Day 16- Lost **(_High School AU_ cont.)****

After walking aimlessly throughout the city, Aang ended up outside Toph's huge house. It was a mansion really, the biggest in the area. They often joked it was bigger than Wayne Manor and Tony Stark's beach house combined. It might've been, too.

Usually, Aang snuck in through her bedroom window. It's something he had done since they were in grade school, back when they first met. Since she was mad at him though, he didn't want to presume it would be okay for him to do that, so he kinda hung around outside in hopes she'd somehow sense he was there.

Her room was on the second floor and there was this huge tree right by her window that made it easy to climb up. Trying to figure out _why_ she was so upset, he leaned against the thick trunk and tried to sort his thoughts. He didn't even know where to start.

After a short while, Aang made up his mind to climb the tree, knock on the glass, and just talk to her. He had barely gripped the lowest branch, when the window flew open. Stopping halfway out of it, Toph saw him. The shock was clear on both their faces.

Another apology was on the tip of his tongue, angry words on the tip of hers, but she swallowed them back. That wouldn't accomplish anything. It didn't earlier. Besides, she didn't want to fight with him anymore. He was the last person she wanted to fight with _and_ her favorite person to fight with...it was complicated. Anyway, wasn't she on her way to look for _him_?

"What're you doing here?" she asked, climbing down and sitting on one of the thicker branches. Her right foot swung above his head, the other she tucked under her leg.

She was actually talking to him? Unexpected but very much appreciated.

Since she didn't kick him out of her backyard, Aang took a chance. He climbed up and sat on the opposite end of the same branch she was on. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. "I don't want to fight with you anymore, Toph. I want to talk to you."

Thinking about what he said, Toph chewed on her bottom lip for a second. It went against everything she stood for (mushy junk and emotional crap just weren't her thing), but she took a deep breath and answered, "Alright, talk."

Aang turned his body to face her. "Toph, please tell me what's going on. Please?"

Wind blew through the tree, rustling the leaves all around them. He continued to watch her as she watched one orange leaf break off and fall to the green grass below. Trying to get comfortable, Toph now swung both feet.

"You know, it's the dumbest thing," her voice was very soft and Aang strained to hear. He leaned forward as she continued, "But, I did have a crush on him. It's just... He was funny and not bad to look at and...he was nice to me."

"_I'm_ nice to you," Aang whispered. Uncertain if she didn't hear him or pretended not to, he sighed.

"It was a stupid, insignificant crush and you made it into this big, huge thing that it never was." Her eyes met his for a fleeting second, not enough time for him to offer a comforting smile because she returned her gaze back to her hands on her lap. "That's one of the reasons I hate talking about this stuff. And you _know_ that!"

Should he say something? Remain silent? Would she be receptive to any words he offered anyway?

"Know what else? All those stupid movies Katara makes us watch? They're all bullshit. Girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back. When does that even happen!?"

Aang scratched the back of his head. "Do you...want that to happen? To you?"

She looked ready to push him off the tree.

"Okay, okay, don't get mad again," he said, trying to appease her. "It would be nice though..." he swallowed, his ears burning, "...to get the girl - or guy - of your dreams."

"Not even going that far," she laughed and something inside him relaxed. "Just someone you can be yourself with, you know? Hang out. Fuck shit up!"

They had that. The two of them. He and Toph, that's the kind of relationship they'd always shared.

"But it's different with you," she whispered, as if reading his mind. Aang waited for her to elaborate, but she simply went back to looking down at her hands.

Toph looked so sad and confused suddenly, so lost, that Aang shuffled closer. He didn't know who he was more mad at: Sokka for making her feel this way or himself for not being able to make her feel better.

Risking it, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. To his surprise, she didn't pull away.


	17. Hurt

**AN: This one's for The Lost Beifong! Sorry it took so long. On the plus side, it is a Divergent AU! ;)**

**Some spoilers for the book. One line taken from it, too. *cough tori's cough* Oh, and Toph can see. And there's no bending.**

* * *

**Day 17- Hurt**

The test results had thrown her off. Toph had been ready to be told Candor was her faction. It's what her mom told her, what her dad told her, what everyone and everything told her. Except, of course, the test. The test which was supposed to confirm what everyone had ever said was inconclusive.

"Divergent," June had stated cautiously. June, the Dauntless woman with piercings and tattoos who gave her the test, who had looked tense, almost worried as she spoke, "Don't ever share your results with anyone."

Of course not. Everyone knew that wasn't done.

"I know."

"No." June got in Toph's face. "I mean you should never share them with anyone, _ever_, no matter what happens. Divergence is extremely dangerous. You understand?"

Toph had not understood, but she nodded anyway. She lied. Candor wasn't supposed to do that.

...

The Choosing Ceremony would begin soon. All five factions were already gathered there. The sixteen-year-olds like Toph stood off to the sides, arranged in alphabetical order. Toph would be one of the first to choose. There was an Amity boy to her right that would go before her. He had short brown hair, big gray eyes, and offered her a small, warm smile. Toph looked away, too nervous to point out the dirt stain on the sleeve of his yellow shirt.

They called his name, Aang something, Toph couldn't hear over the pounding of her own heart. She was next, she would choose her faction, her life in the next few minutes. June had said she displayed equal aptitude for Candor, Erudite, and Dauntless. If she was completely honest with herself, there was only one faction she believed she belonged to and there lay the problem.

When they called her name, her movements were decisive, her mind was made up. She took the knife, sliced her palm, the pain barely registering, and let a drop of her blood fall where it was meant to.

Sounds, whispers, she could hear it all and make none of it out. As Toph went to stand behind the Dauntless, her new faction, she noticed the same Amity boy was there with her. She blinked in surprise.

"Hi, I'm Aang," he said in a low friendly voice, but he was smart, he kept his eyes facing forward. He couldn't have been Candor either, she thought, fighting a smile of her own. They weren't supposed to be talking and the only reason she didn't tell him so was because she had chosen to leave her former faction and didn't have to say everything that was on her mind anymore.

The Ceremony had begun in almost slow motion, but now everything was happening so fast. She hadn't even stopped to pay attention to anything or anyone else. As she looked around, she noticed there were very few transfers, most had chosen to stay within their own factions. Continuing to let her gaze travel, Toph caught sight of her parents then. They were looking at her, two pairs of eyes full is disdain at having been betrayed. They were Candor, so she knew exactly what they were thinking, exactly what they would say to her if they had the chance. And yet, she was surprised to see the hurt in their eyes. _That_ came as a shock. Truthfully, she didn't think they cared all that much.

When her mother wiped at the tears that had formed, Toph was actually left speechless. She knew this because when the Amity boy whispered something in her ear, Toph didn't tell him to step back, to give her some space, all she could do was look up at him.

"We're leaving," he repeated.

He was right. The Dauntless were the first ones out of their seats and out the door.

As Toph ran with her new faction, she couldn't shake that look, that _pained _look on her parent's faces. For a moment she wondered if she'd made a mistake. There was no going back, not now, but as she struggled to jump onto a moving train, then down into a dark bottomless hole, and after when she had to lose her clothes in a room full of strangers (including Aang who blushed when she caught him looking) to change into Dauntless black, Toph tried not to think about the hurt she caused her parents. It wouldn't do anyone any good, she reasoned, especially not her. After all, she was Dauntless now. She had chosen to be brave instead of honest and if she had to lie to herself until she believed they would all be fine, she would.


	18. Restless

**Day 18- Restless (_Divergent AU cont._)**

Training was over at six. After that all initiates, both transfers and Dauntless-born, were free to do as they liked so long as they didn't leave the compound without a Dauntless accompanying them. Not that Toph had anywhere to go. It wasn't like she could just visit her parents (not sure she wanted to either). Still, she had all this pent up energy and wanted to do something.

"Uh-oh. I've seen that look before," Aang said, only half-joking.

"Shut it, Twinkletoes," Toph growled, fist aiming for his arm playfully.

He danced out of the way, which was exactly why she had given him the nickname—he really was incredibly light on his feet. Anyway, she had no choice but to run after him with the sole purpose of tackling him to the ground. He was fast though and laughed as she chased him.

That the Amity boy she met that day of the Choosing Ceremony would still be around after the first stage surprised Toph enormously. That he would become one of her best friends, she would've never guessed. He was so nice and sweet and kind, Amity through and through. But during training, Aang showed them all another side to his character; he possessed so much grace and natural talent, he made learning new fighting techniques look easy. Toph, who as it turned out loved fighting and was really, really good at it, had the bruises to prove just how difficult it truly was.

There was something else, something she would have never seen coming...Toph found him attractive. She wasn't gonna lie, he was very good looking, but it was more than that.

...

The day before, after dinner, as they reached the Pit, he turned his gray eyes to her.

"Do you want to help me with something?"

"Depends," Toph replied, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

His smile was contagious and as he took her hand and led her back to the dormitory, she felt absurdly vulnerable. It was only when he stopped by his bed that he released his hold on her to grab something from his bunk. When he turned to look at her again, he held a pair of scissors in one hand and a razor in the other.

"I want to take it all off."

Take what off, she thought, momentarily concerned until she realized he meant his hair.

"I've never cut it myself, but I'm pretty sure I can do the front. I was hoping you could help with the back."

She tugged at the shaggy brown locks. It seemed like such a strange thing to do for someone else, but as she stood behind him, both of them facing the mirror, it was surprisingly intimate. When her thighs brushed his lower back as she inspected his hair, they both inhaled sharply. When her breasts swept across his left shoulder, they both stopped breathing. Trying to maintain some distance between their bodies, Toph continued with the inspection, trying to determine where to start.

She had never cut anyone's hair before and was appropriately nervous, especially since she was supposed to use a sharp razor to rid him of the short, uneven strands he had trimmed with the scissors and which currently covered his scalp.

Toph could feel his gaze on her. On her hands, on her face.

"I trust you," he smiled and she wanted to believe him, but years of ingrained distrust of Amity got in the way.

_"Those who seek peace above all else, they say, will always deceive to keep the water calm."_

Her mother used to say that often. Her mother wasn't there. Besides, Twinkles had left his old faction, just as she had left hers.

"Okay," Toph breathed. "Don't move."

When she was done, they both stared at his bald head. There wasn't one hair left on it. But more surprising, Aang looked _better_, if it was even possible.

"What do you think?" he turned from the mirror to ask her.

"You look hot," the Candor in her wanted to say, but she answered, "Not bad, baldy."

When he said thanks and hugged his appreciation, she tried hard not to revel in the feeling.

"Let's go show it off," she grinned, pulling away.

...

As Toph chased Aang, they ran into Katara. She had disappeared the night before. Just training, she said, avoiding eye contact. Toph could tell she was lying, but didn't press the issue.

"I used to like your hair," Katara lamented. Laughing, Toph could see she meant it, too. It had softened his face, giving him a boyish look. He didn't look like a boy anymore.

Out of all the transfers, Aang was the most like Sweetness. She had been Abnegation, a Stiff they called her; these people really needed to leave the nicknames to her. However, now, Aang looked more Dauntless than the two of them put together.

That simply would not do. Toph took both their hands and led them away.

"I know what we're doing today!" she exclaimed, her green eyes bright with mischief.

"Aren't you tired at all?" Katara complained, thinking of her sore muscles. Since their arrival, she was the one who seemed to have the roughest go at it. Toph supposed it was because of her upbringing. Not a lot of fighting in Abnegation, she figured. Not that there was much in Candor or Amity for that matter. The three of them just had to let that all go and she knew the first step.

"We're getting tattoos!"

Aang's face lit up, while Katara's grew panicked.

"I don't know, Toph..."

"C'mon, you gotta live a little, Sweetness."

"Yeah, Katara, it'll be fun."

Toph could feel all the pent up energy buzz through her the closer they got to the tattoo parlor. But when she saw June in there, their conversation after the test came flooding back. Divergent. Dangerous. All the excitement died on the spot and Toph felt suddenly drained. Not even Aang's mention of getting a full body tattoo could grab or keep her attention.

Leaving her friends looking at the artwork on the wall, Toph made her way over to June.

"Listen—I need to talk to you about..." she looked over at Aang and Katara, gray eyes had been watching her, but turned away. She didn't want to get them into any trouble. "...something. Sometime."

"I am not sure that would be wise," June said quietly.

It probably wasn't, but Toph wanted answers and she had the feeling June could provide them.

* * *

_AN: First, that line about Amity and the short exchange at the end are taken directly from the book. Second, m__any thanks to those of you who've kept reading even though Taang Month has long passed (was it really back in April?), but the way I see it, every month _should be_ Taang Month, so... ;)_


	19. Sorrow

**Day 19- Sorrow**

_Nothing hurts more than when a painful past repeats itself._

It began with Ummi. She was young and beautiful and gifted. She had done nothing wrong in her short life. Nothing, except fall in love with the Avatar. Nothing, except agree to be his wife.

Ummi suffered. Unfairly. Unjustly. As punishment. To make Kuruk pay, to make _him_ suffer.

Years passed, centuries, and a child was born. Beautiful and gifted and blind. She was the Greatest Earthbender the world had ever seen.

Her life would have been long. Adventurous. Epic. But she, too, fell in the love with the Avatar. Worse still, the Avatar fell in love with her.

Despite being born a century apart, despite their opposing elements, they found each other once more. They were the stuff of legend. Myth. Their love transcending lifetimes. But it would not last.

The Avatar loved her above all else. The Face Stealer could not allow it. He struck again. Stole again. Tried to destroy the Avatar again.

Aang proved resilient. No longer the same optimist, but close enough. He mourned everyday. Loved her a little more each time. Heartbroken. Wistful. He faced life head on. Just as she taught him.

Decades later, when a lost colony of Air Nomads was discovered, his body, old and weary, could not go on. His dying breath, her name on his lips. He called for her. She could not come. Then, the cycle commenced anew.

It began with Ummi, it would not end with Toph.


	20. Touch

**Day 20- Touch (**_Arranged Marriage AU cont._)****

The moment Toph walked into the room, the servants were sent away, and her mother began speaking.

"There are dreadful rumors circulating."

For once, Toph thought her mom had something important to say. Guess that wasn't the case. "In regards to what?" she asked, trying not to sound irritated.

Poppy had been debating how to approach the subject. She decided to do it as delicately as possible.

"Your marriage, dear."

Toph frowned. "What about it?" It was the bane of her existence. Toph had been married eighteen days now and was no closer to speaking with her husband (Spirits, she hated the word!) than she was the day of the ceremony.

"As you have been made aware, Toph, custom dictates that the first month of marriage must be lived with the bride's relatives. This is done in order to provide her that period to adjust to her new life while in the safety of her old one."

"How thoughtful," she muttered.

Poppy continued despite the interruption. "This also gives the family an opportunity to ensure that the groom is indeed a good match. If he is not, and the marriage has not been..._consummated_...it can be absolved."

Toph's ears perked up. So there was a legal way out of this?

Looking carefully at her daughter, Poppy spoke, "I am going to ask you a question. It is of the utmost importance that you are honest with me, Toph. Do you understand? Have you and your husband...been intimate?" she asked and held her breath waiting for an answer.

Toph was practically delirious. Was her mother about to suggest what she _hoped_ she was? Could her mom see how miserable she had been and undo the cause of her misery? Toph wanted to wrap her arms around her mom and dance with joy.

"Heck no!" Toph confirmed, nearly giddy. She had barely _spoken_ to her husband, she wasn't about to do _any_ consummating!

Feeling a rush of nerves, Toph waited anxiously for the words that would give her freedom once again. But, the words never came.

"I was afraid of that," Poppy frowned, her delicate features at war with themselves. Then, she added, "But you must. And, soon."

The color drained from Toph's face. She was going to be sick. Her parents were horrible people. They hated her, absolutely and completely. Not wanting to hear another word, she ran out of room.

...

Aang had been walking aimlessly throughout the garden. His conversation with his father-in-law left him feeling ill, a little overwhelmed, and very much in a panicky state. He was tempted to find Appa and fly away, never to return. But he knew he couldn't do that. His people...he couldn't let them down, they were counting on him.

As he rounded a corner, gray eyes caught sight of Toph running out of the house. With no intention of stopping either. That wasn't why he followed.

She was _crying_.

Honestly, the way she had been acting since their wedding day, Aang doubted she had any feelings at all. But that went out the window when he saw her collapse under a tree far from the house, located near the large wall surrounding the entire property, and sob quietly.

Making his way over to her, Aang approached slowly.

"Go away!" she cried, not bothering to turn his way. She had drawn her knees close to her body and kept her face buried in them.

Pausing for only a moment, he continued moving closer despite the imminent threat in her tone. Eventually, he sat down.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled utterly dejected, her words drowning in tears. She sounded so sad, Aang just wanted to wrap an arm around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. He didn't though.

Looking over at the beautiful gardens around them, Aang contemplated what to say. The trees, the flowers, the ponds, and the bridge, it was all so nice to look at, it should be a happy place, but he hadn't felt happy once since arriving. He glanced over at her hunched form. "I guess your mom talked to you then?"

Toph's face burned with embarrassment. Did he know? If his heartbeat was any indication, then yes, he did know. How could he possibly?

As if hearing her thoughts, he answered her.

"While your mother was talking to you, your father was have a similar conversation with me," he explained and Toph had never felt such mortification. The tears had ceased and she simply wanted to bend herself out of his presence. "Did she tell you about the Fire Nation?"

At that, Toph did raise her head. Things didn't get the far, she supposed. But what did the Fire Nation have to do with anything?

As if guessing her thoughts once again, Aang continued, "You've heard of Princess Azula?" She had, Azula was Iroh's niece. "A few weeks before your birthday, she turned sixteen as well," he concluded, that time looking away. He said it as if that explained everything.

It did, in a way.

Iroh's warning made sense now. He had told her there were many who did not want her marriage to succeed. Toph had laughed it off because she sure as earth didn't want it to. Still, Iroh was insistent.

_"My brother is a cunning man," the old general warned her. "If he wants something badly enough, he usually finds a way to get it. And I believe he wants Aang."_

Again, Toph had only laughed. If anyone wanted her husband, they could have him because she sure as heck didn't.

"Your father said people know we haven't...uh," Aang couldn't finish. His entire head turned red at what he was about to say. Toph was mildly relieved he was having trouble with the whole thing as well.

Then, he whispered something that Toph didn't quite catch.

"What?" she said, it was the first word she had spoken since running out, crying. _Oma_, how humiliating. After drying her eyes with her sleeves, she turned her body to face him. "Didn't catch that," she prodded.

Aang swallowed. "I said I don't think we should."

"Should what?"

Of course Toph had an idea of what he was about to say. Still, she had misjudged her mother's intent earlier so badly, Toph didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

"Should have to do _anything_ we don't want to do."

Relief flooded Toph's every limb, every muscle, every fiber.

"You don't?" she asked, the surprise evident in her tone.

Aang mistook it for something else.

"Please don't be offended," he said, the words rushing out of his mouth before he could process them fully. "You're very beautiful and smart and sometimes I think I could really like you if only I could get to know you, even a little, but I know you hate me so that's never going to happen. And I've...accepted that. I knew it was a possibility from the beginning and I'm sorry," he whispered. She could hear the tears in his voice, but didn't say anything. Aang went on. "Unfortunately, this is an important alliance for my people and I don't want to let them down. I can't. But I also don't want you to have to...have to..."

Toph did something then that surprised them both tremendously, she reached for his hand. "I get it," she said, squeezing gently.

"You do?"

She nodded once.

His gray eyes were full of unshed tears. Empathy. He wasn't expecting that from her.

They sat there for a while without saying anything else. The wind rushed past them, ruffling her dress and his robes, the grass and the leaves. Toph was still holding his hand and was becoming increasingly self-conscious about it.

It was the first time she had willingly touched him. The skin on the back of his hand was smooth and soft, surprisingly warm too. Toph wondered what his palm felt like. She decided she wasn't going to find out and released her hold.

"What else did my father say?"

Aang watched her, wondering what she could be thinking. Why had she held his hand only to let go? The fleeting touch confused him. It was comforting and gone too soon. When she said something, he had to ask her to repeat it.

"I _said_, what else did my father tell you? About the Fire Nation," she quickly added lest he think she meant the other thing hanging over their heads.

"Oh, um, he said Fire Lord Ozai probably wanted me to, uh, to marry _his_ daughter. Princess Azula."

It was ridiculous not to want to say it out loud. Aang knew Toph didn't want to be married to him anyway, what did she care if he was married to someone else? But Gyatso had told him the medicine the children needed could _only_ be found in the Earth Kingdom.

"My father and his business partners are getting unrestricted access to the forest along the mountain range near the Western Air Temple," she stated, thinking over what he said earlier, trying to figure things out. Aang said he didn't want to let his people down. The other stuff he mentioned (about his thinking her beautiful or how he thought he could actually like her), Toph did not bother to consider. "What are your people getting out of this arrangement?"

"Medicine."

Toph blinked. "Medicine?"

He nodded, then replied yes when he remembered she couldn't see him. And he had _so many_ questions about that, her blindness. About her in general, but as he had learned to do in her home, he asked none.

"Gyatso said the children needed it," he stated simply. "Unlike the other three nations, the Air Nomads don't have any form of currency, so when he asked me to marry you in order for the monks to be able to trade for the medicine we needed, I couldn't not do it."

For the first time since she met Aang, Toph felt ashamed. Ashamed of her behavior, her family's motivation, her peoples' lack of compassion. Still, something didn't add up. Frustrated, she stood and paced in anger. Why couldn't they simply help the Air Nomads if they were sick? The Earth Kingdom was a wealthy country, full of wealthy families, none more so than the Beifongs. They had so much already, why..._why?_

"Before you condemn your family too much, we're at fault too."

Toph stopped. His voice was kind. It only shamed her further.

"How do you mean?" she whispered.

Aang wasn't supposed to say anything, he promised Gyatso he wouldn't say anything.

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else? Not even your parents?"

Like she would ever tell them anything after the way they've treated her. Or Aang or his people.

As he posed the question, Toph could hear the hesitance in his tone. He didn't really want to confide in her. For some reason that hurt. Which was so dumb because only a few minutes ago she didn't even like him! Not that she liked him now, but earlier she had wanted _nothing_ to with him—not that she wanted anything to do with him now! Only...she finally understood they weren't so different. She had belatedly realized he'd had no choice in the matter either, he had been forced into the marriage as much as she had. Toph wasn't going to make him do anything else he didn't want.

"If you don't wanna tell me, don't," she snapped, beginning to walk away.

The short lived truce between them was obviously over and Aang could only frown. After a while, he ran to catch up with her.

"Hold on," he said, grabbing her arm.

"You're gonna wanna let go."

He did, immediately. He hadn't meant anything by it.

"Ugh, you make everything so difficult," he muttered, frustrated. When she gave him the teensiest, tiniest smirk, he relaxed a little. "Listen, Toph, it's not that I don't trust you," he swore, though he wasn't sure why that was. "But, I don't want to put your life in danger."

Now he had her intrigued.

"How so?"

Aang looked around, making sure no one was close enough to hear them.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sensing the way he moved to looked at their surroundings.

"Making sure no one's around," he replied.

Toph couldn't feel anyone close by, but she tapped the ground a few times, sending out her seismic sense as far as possible. There were a few guards littered about the place, but none close enough to their location.

"We're alone."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, okay?" she argued, but could feel the inquiry coming. "I _listen_," she elaborated. "Now, what'd you wanna tell me?"

Looking around one more time before stepping close to her, Aang leaned in to whisper in her ear.

Toph's heart stammered in her chest as his hand was suddenly splayed out on the small of her back, drawing her near him. His shoulder brushed hers as he erased all but a short distance between them. When his lips were so close to her ear, his breath swept along her skin as he spoke, she barely contained the strange shiver she felt run through her.

"I'm the Avatar," he whispered.

She almost didn't hear him over the blood rushing in her ears.

Incredibly nervous, Aang had barely managed to speak. He had never been so close to her. Not even when they danced on their wedding day. Not that day he caught her sneaking back into their room practically at dawn. Not when they slept in the same bed (an occurrence that only happened once, he went back to the couch the following night).

Up close her skin was even more lovely, her lips heart-shaped and full, and her scent, though earthy and light, was quite alluring. Aang was having a difficult time not staring at her.

When he whispered the three words that revealed himself to her entirely, he felt more than heard, the soft gasp escape her. Her green eyes went wide and he could see every dark lash lining those incredible eyes. A pink hue covered her cheeks and her lips were parted ever so slightly. Aang couldn't stop staring. The realization made his ears go red.

That was not at all what Toph expected to hear. Though she knew she should say something, nothing came out. First he was an airbender, now he was the Avatar! What next?! As shocking as all that was, currently there was the more pressing issue of his hand. She could feel each one of his fingertips pressed into the skin of her back. It wasn't an unwholly unpleasant experience.

"Who else knows?" she whispered between them.

"Gyatso and some of the older monks of the Southern Air Temple know." Aang was told the day he married Toph. "And, now you know too."

"Do you think the Fire Nation knows?"

"I think they might suspect. Why else would the Fire Lord want me to marry into his family?"

Toph thought about that. "But what does it matter to him if you are or not?" She was able to feel the tension in his hand before he pulled away completely. "Whatever it is, you can tell me," she urged quietly, taking his hand in hers one more time.

Her reactions kept surprising him. She had touched him more times in that last hour than she had during the entirety of their marriage.

"It's nothing good," Aang admitted. Either the Fire Lord intended to kill him or keep him prisoner so another Avatar wouldn't be born in time to stop whatever insane plan for world domination he had. Those were Gyatso's greatest concerns. Aang, optimist that he was, didn't think anyone could be that evil.

Both Toph and Aang remained silent, deep in thought.

...

Dinner was a quiet affair. Out of the corner of his eye, Aang could see Toph's parents look at each other numerous times, then over at him or Toph.

No one said anything.

...

When Aang returned to their room for the night, he was disappointed to find Toph wasn't there. He liked how they had talked outside, he wanted that again. He had hoped she would want the same thing.

After taking a bath, Aang went to sleep on the couch. All the while wondering where Toph had disappeared to.


	21. Question

****Day 21- Question (_Band AU_)****

Unless you're living off the grid with no access to the internet, no phone, no tv, and no radio, you already know of the once little band who has been taking over the world one continent at a time: Avatar. So if you've heard them play or follow their antics online, you're probably hooked. If you haven't, get ready to be _obsessed_.

For this interview, the members of Avatar have invited us to their house in Los Angeles (Malibu to be exact). They share another in Tokyo and one in London.

**Reporter:** Let's start with the question _all_ your fans want answered. [There's a short silence where they shift uncomfortably in their seats] Are the rumors true?

**Toph _Drums_:** Which ones? [laughing]

[The others join in her laughter. Yes, even Zuko.]

**Sokka _Lead guitar, backing vocals_:** People are always saying stuff about us. We've been lucky that it's usually been positive, but the other 15-20 percent, there's nothing you can do about it. Honestly, we don't pay attention to any of it.

_"Have you seen twitter today?! Someone posted a picture of me eating! Look! LOOK! It's so...so _unflattering_!"_

_"Hate to break it to you, Snoozles, but that's what we get to see on a daily basis."_

_"Toph, that's not helping," Katara admonished, but she was fighting back her own smile._

_"I hate all of you!" Sokka cried._

_"At least no one made a meme about you," Aang muttered, sullenly._

_"A what?"_

_Suki nodded, "Yeah, I saw that. Sorry, Aang. It's all over tumblr."_

_"All over what?"_

_"Ugh, here!" Suki shoved her tablet at Sokka, who immediately proceeded to laugh until his sides hurt._

_._

_Zuko stormed into the house._

_"Who told!?"_

_In the living room, __Toph and Aang were playing video games. _

_"Something bothering you, Sparky?"_

_"It's all over! Everywhere!"_

_"What is?" Aang asked, checking his phone. Suki would've sent a text if anything was up._

_"Me. Mai. Our breakup."_

_Toph paused the game. "You two broke up? When?"_

_That seemed to calm him a bit. "So, I guess it wasn't you."_

_"You really think I'd rat you out? To the media?" _

_No, she wouldn't. He knew that. Zuko massaged the bridge of his nose to fight the oncoming headache he felt forming. _

_"You know, _I should kick your ass just for thinking it," Toph growled, tossing the controller aside. __

__Aang watched as she jumped over the back of the couch to approach the newest member. She said something in a low tone and they talked in hushed voices. Something in Aang's chest tightened as he fought the urge to walk over and shove Zuko away from Toph. ____He turned from them and shut down the PS4 instead. __

__They knew each other from before. Aang didn't know how Toph and Zuko knew each other, he never asked. But since the moment Zuko wanted in, Toph had been the first to say, "Go ahead and let him join." __

__When Aang looked up, the older man was suddenly standing in front of him. ___"If it was that always-eating peasant friend of yours," Zuko pointed an accusing finger at him, "I swear I'll-"_

_"Hey, it wasn't Sokka!" Aang defended. _

_"Aang's right," Suki assured them as she walked in. "__It wasn't Sokka." __After that comment he made about Aang and Katara's split, he learned his lesson. Suki made sure of it. "__And__, Zuko, it's being handled."_

_With a curt nod, Zuko sat down. "Thank you," he told Suki._

_Toph glared at Zuko like he was an idiot. "Maybe _she_ leaked it. Ever think of that?"_

_Zuko stared back at her. "She who?"_

_If it had been anyone else, Toph would've smacked him, but she'd known Sparky since she was little and had come to look at him like a big brother. There was a respect for him that she held for few others. Plus she knew his relationship with Mai had always been tumultuous at best._

_"Who do you _think_ I mean?"_

_"__We said we'd keep it to ourselves. You don't suppose...? __She wouldn't!" Zuko insisted. _

_"But your crazy sister would."_

_When Suki and Toph gave him a poignant look, he faltered. "Fuck."_

_._

_"So now we can't go anywhere together because we're suddenly dating again!?" Katara screeched, flipping though the most recent copy of US Weekly. There was a picture of her and Aang taken about two weeks ago. They were both in jeans, he wore an orange hoodie, while she wore the blue jacket Gran Gran gave her for her birthday. As they were leaving the movie theater through the back door, they walked__ side by side with their heads down looking totally guilty__._

_"Guess not," Aang shrugged, then hopped on the counter top. "Sorry, Katara, it's my fault. I should've known someone would see us."_

_She sighed. She wasn't mad at him. After their somewhat messy breakup, and the very painful months that followed, their friendship had survived and only grown stronger. No one outside the band seemed to understand that though._

_"Hey, I wanted to see Guardians of the Galaxy, too," she said, smiling at him._

_"No you didn't," he laughed. But the only two people who would have actually wanted to go with him, Toph and Sokka, were out of town promoting their second album. _

_"Sweet pic," Toph said, walking into the kitchen and picking up the magazine Katara had tossed on the counter. __He could see the large headline from where he sat: 'At It Again?' __The look that crossed her face told Aang she didn't think it was a 'sweet pic' at all. In fact, she looked to be grinding her teeth together, willing herself not to snap. _

_"Oh, no! My yoga class starts in half an hour!" Katara cried, realizing how late it was. "I'll see you guys later," she called from down the hall._

_"Movie any good?" Toph asked, leaving the magazine where she found it and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge._

_"Yeah, it was cool. I wouldn't mind seeing it again," he said._

_"Then you should."_

_"I might. Wanna come?"_

_A hint of a smile appeared on her face. _

_"Why, so we can end up in the next issue? No thanks."_

_"Well, if you change your mind..." he smiled, jumping off the counter. "...next showing starts at four."_

**Reporter:** So, none of the rumors are true? Avatar is not breaking up?

**Katara _Lead vocals, piano_:** We've discussed pursuing other projects, individually and with other people. I think that as artists, it helps us grow. But let me assure you—and our fans—we are not breaking up.

**Suki _Manager_:** Katara and Sokka started out as Water Tribe, then Aang joined and they changed the name to Avatar. I came on board that winter as a drummer, but after the accident... [Editor's note: Suki and Sokka were in an automobile collision that left her with two broken arms, he suffered minor cuts and bruises. Her recovery was long, but she has regained complete use of both limbs.] I became manager shortly after and my first job as manager was getting Toph to join.

**Aang _Bass guitar, backing vocals_: **Hey, I helped!

**Toph:** You really didn't.

_Toph knew something was up the moment she saw the bald guy walk into her parents' home. She'd seen him at the last few gigs she played. The girl with two arm casts had been at a few too. It was their fault d__inner was such a disaster._

_"It's wonderful to have you all visit us."_

_"Thank you for having us, Mrs. Beifong," Arm casts replied. "We know how valuable your time is."  
_

_"In your opinion, how much longer do think it will be before you go on tour again?"_

_Baldy spoke up, __"We'd like to start by the end of summer, but we can't do that without finding another drummer first."_

_The guy was an idiot and Toph couldn't help give him an annoyed look. No one else seemed to notice._

_"Well, Yu is the finest drummer I know," Mr. Beifong said and they had a feeling he knew them all. "He's been teaching Toph since she was little."_

_"Then she must be a great drummer!" Baldy exclaimed. "Probably good enough to teach someone else!" He had just said the words when someone kicked him under the table. "Ow!"_

_Mr. Beifong sent an odd glance at his daughter who was sitting directly across from Aang. However, she continued to eat her soup, seemingly oblivious to anything going on at the table._

_"Toph is still learning the basics," Yu explained._

_Mr. Beifong nodded, "Yes, and sadly, because of her busy schedule, I don't think she'll ever have the time to completely master the instrument."_

_Aang smiled. "Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is."_

_Toph kicked his leg again, harder that time, making him jump in place and spilling his soup. Everybody at the table stopped eating. Aang looked down at the soup on his clothes and wiped some off his face. He then flicked his hand, so the soup flew across the table to Toph's side._

_Then all hell broke loose. Food fight didn't even begin to describe the mess Toph and Aang started._

[Aang glares at Toph until she punches his arm, then he looks like he's trying not to smile]

**Suki:** Anyway, after Toph swooped in and became the awesome drummer we needed, I was the one who got Zuko to join. So all you Zukoheads can thank me! [They all laugh, while Zuko tries to hide his blush] I'm telling you, Avatar's not breaking up, if anything we'll be adding more members!

**Reporter:** What about the infighting? [Zuko and Aang exchange a meaningful look]

**Zuko _Rhythm guitar, backing vocals_: **That was a long time ago. _Before_ I joined Avatar.

_"Katara, what are you doing with...with _him_?"_

_Katara's face was crimson. "Aang, it's not what you think!"_

_"It looks like you're writing music with Zuko!"_

_"Okay, it is what you think, but...you and me...we haven't been clicking like we used to. The other day, we couldn't come up with anything. No lyrics, no music..."_

_"So you found another writing partner? One in _another _band!?"_

_"Aang, no. _We're_ still writing partners! Our first album is full of songs we wrote. You and me," she smiled. "I just wanted to try something new."_

_He was heartbroken, Katara could see it in his gray eyes._

_"Then continue trying new stuff without me!" Aang snapped and left with the full intention of quitting the band._

**Aang:** Yeah, we were just starting out, we were kids, really. I was only sixteen when I first joined. Seventeen when our first album debuted. Now, looking back, it was inevitable.

**Sokka:** Actually, I'm surprised we don't fight more.

_Sokka looked over at Suki, both her arms still in casts, and kissed her cheek. After the accident they stopped beating around the bush and hooked up almost immediately. They kept it secret, however, only the band was made aware of it._

_"Babe, you know I love you, but I don't know about this," he said, __wide __eyes taking in the huge gates they had just passed to get into the house._

_"Trust me," Suki said, shifting in her seat, trying to get comfortable. "You guys need a drummer and she's the best there is."_

_"How can you possibly know that?" Katara asked. "And is it just me or does this limo have a funny smell?"_

_"It's you," Aang replied. "And we know she's the best drummer because we've heard her play."_

_"When?" Sokka and Katara asked at the same time._

_"When you two went to visit your grandmother last month."_

_The siblings looked at each other, then shrugged. _

_"Okay, so what's our reason for being here again?" Sokka asked, munching on a bag of chips._

_"We're going to ask her to join us," Suki replied. "But we could only get in to see her by pretending to want to audition for this huge party her parents are throwing for her eighteen birthday."_

_"Hey, she's my age," Aang pointed out._

_"Yes, that's amazing," Sokka droned, then his head snapped up. "Wait! __We have to _try out_!?" he screeched, choking on the chips._

_"Tell me you've heard of the Beifongs?" Suki mumbled, watching as Katara patted her brother's back. "They might be the richest family in the country. They can afford to hire anyone they want."_

_"I still don't see why we have to audition!"_

**Katara:** Trust me, we get along just fine most of the time, but we've _all_ had our moments.

_After trying to be nice about the continued mess Toph left everywhere, Katara had had enough of their new drummer. _

_"Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!"_

_"What?" Toph looked ready to kill someone. "Look here, Sugar Queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could help you guys out! So don't you talk to me about being selfish!"_

_"Sugar Queen?!" Katara yelled as she followed Toph down the hall, where the younger girl stormed into one of the bedrooms and shut the door violently. "Did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?"_

**Toph:** Yup, good times.

**Katara: **It's not always easy. [She looks at each one of her band mates] But nothing worth it is. Look, four of us made the first album.

**Sokka:** Toph was there for the second.

**Suki:** Zuko came in for the third.

**Zuko:** That's six of us. We're not always going to agree on everything.

**Aang:** But that's what keeps it interesting.

**Toph:** ...

**Aang:** What?

**Toph:** I can't believe you just said that!

**Aang: **But it's true!

[continued on page 206]


End file.
